A new machine to fix Norfolk's pothole-scarred roads is to be trialled to see if it could save time and taxpayers' money.
But Reform-run Norfolk County Council's decision to test a specialist JCB Pothole Pro machine has sparked opposition, given JCB's chairman has previously donated to Nigel Farage's party.
However, the authority has now revealed the machine will be trialled during the first week of September, on roads due for repair in south Norfolk.
They say the JCB Pothole Pro, being provided to the council at no cost, has been designed to repair potholes and carriageway defects more quickly and efficiently than traditional methods.
The trial will help assess whether the technology can deliver longer-lasting repairs while reducing the amount of time needed on site.
Tom Dickerson, Reform's cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: "The condition of Norfolk’s roads is a top priority for us and we’re looking for innovative ways to maintain them while making the best use of taxpayers' money.
"The JCB Pothole Pro has been praised by others for its ability to carry out repairs quickly and efficiently, and this trial will help us understand how it performs on Norfolk's roads.
"If successful, it could become a valuable tool in our ongoing work to improve the condition of the county's highway network."
However, the decision to follow the Reform-led Leicestershire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Lincolnshire County Council in using a machine produced by a company owned by a Reform donor, has prompted criticism.
Liberal Democrat Rob Colwell said: "There is a legitimate question about why Reform councils seem so keen on this particular machine.
"JCB's chair, Lord Anthony Bamford, donated £200,000 to Reform UK through his company in 2025. He has also previously funded an £8,000 helicopter trip for Nigel Farage.
“I'm not suggesting that this donation determines decisions at Norfolk County Council.
"But when taxpayers' money is being spent, residents are entitled to ask whether decisions are being made because a product is genuinely the best solution for Norfolk, or because it has become closely associated with Reform."
Mr Colwell said Leicestershire County Council had decided not to roll-out the use of the machine following a one-day trial because the machine was "too big" to deploy efficiently.
He said: "That should be a warning for Norfolk. We have thousands of miles of roads, including huge numbers of narrow rural lanes where deploying a large specialist machine may simply not make sense."
Norfolk County Council said, should the short-term trial prove successful, a longer-term trial would be arranged.
County Hall is responsible for 6,200 miles of the county's roads, but not the A47 or A11, which are within the remit of National Highways.
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