The firm has spent £500,000 on two road patchers which are set to slash repair times on its Highways Agency deal across the East of England.

Amey runs trunk road repairs under the Asset Support Contracts for Area 6 and 8 which are both worth up to £200m over the next five years.

The road patchers can be fully controlled from the cab and remove the need for a road worker to be on the carriageway.

Potholes are fully fixed in just two minutes rather than the hour that conventional methods can take.

The patchers will become part of a ‘find and fix’ assessment process where Amey will carry out inspections of trunk roads and motorways and fix potholes instantly without the need for traffic management.

The driver operates a robotic arm which extends from the cab over the pothole and fills it.

The patcher can then move onto another location as needed.

A spokesman for Amey said: “Things like potholes can be a real headache for drivers and we are pleased to provide an efficient and cost-effective solution that has real benefits for our customer, our employees and road users.

“At Amey we pride ourselves on investing in innovative and cutting edge technology as part of the service we provide.”