Pothole fixing machine 'not worth it' for West Lothian due to problems with winter repairs - Daily Record

Pothole fixing machine 'not worth it' for West Lothian due to problems with winter repairsThe Pothole Pro has been promoted by the opposition SNP group as the answer to the almost £2m

problem of fixing the county’s roads.NewsStuart Sommerville Local Democracy Reporter15:56, 21 May 2025The Pothole Pro has been promoted by the opposition SNP group as the answer to the

almost £2m problem of fixing the county’s roads.(Image: Copyright Unknown) A pothole fixing machine would not be worth the cost as it would sit idle for much of West Lothian’s winter,

councillors heard this week.

The Pothole Pro has been promoted by the opposition SNP group as the answer to the almost £2m problem of fixing the county’s roads.

‌ But winter weather and staffing demands makes the £165,000 machine impracticable to use for much of the year, say Operational Services staff.

‌ The device, built around a JCB earth mover platform, combines three machines in one and can repair a pothole in less than eight minutes - four times quicker than standard methods and at

half the cost of current solutions.

READ MORE: West Lothian locals in with chance of winning year’s supply of free beer thanks to supermarket giant Linlithgow Councillor Pauline Orr tabled a series of questions around the cost

of pothole repair and use of the Pro machine at this week’s meeting of the full council.

She said: “I have been told by officers that this equipment would sit idle over the winter and poor weather periods. This is contrary to the feedback of other Scottish councils who use it

all year round and who have made significant savings in terms of time and cost for this type of work. What evidence do you have to support this?”

Article continues below Tom Conn, Labour’s Executive Councillor for the Environment, told the meeting that pothole patching is not effective at low temperatures, and the roads department has

significant staffing and resource demands through the winter months.

The meeting heard that there had been 3,522 enquiries about potholes last year. There were 32 complaints about potholes in the same year.

READ MORE: Free children’s gardening workshop at Dobbies’ Livingston store Councillor Conn said that keeping roads and footways clear was the priority of roads staff throughout the winter

months.

‌ “Winter is not the most appropriate time to carry out such work as wind speed, road surface temperature and moisture affect bituminous materials. The ground should be dry as moisture can

affect the bonds of materials.”

He added: “ Over the previous five winters roads and transportation have averaged around 70 days of winter treatments per year This is around 65% of working days in winter dedicated to

winter maintenance treatments.”

Other evidence suggested that the Pothole Pro would not be usable for 85% of the time during the winter months because of adverse weather conditions and staff demands.

‌ He added: “Cost comparisons are more difficult to determine as they are not like for like.”

READ MORE: Primark launches popular Click & Collect service at Livingston store The objective of traditional methods is to improve the lifespan and condition and conditions of the roads.

This varies greatly.

Scottish Borders Council drafted in two Pothole Pro machines last year to carry out road repairs to its roads citing cost savings compared to using traditional methods. The Pothole Pro costs

around £165,000 to buy but can be hired for £600 a month.

‌ Last year West Lothian spent £1.9m on road repairs.

Councillor Orr asked for all answers to be provided in writing adding: “I’m really deeply disappointed that councillor Conn did not supply these answers in writing.

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