JCB lends machines to support UK flood relief

Manufacturer JCB has deployed a £750,000 (€913,132) fleet of machines, plus operators, to support flood relief efforts in the UK.

The damage caused by the wide-spread flooding that has hit the country this winter could cost its economy up to £630 million (€768 million), according to an estimate from accountant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

JCB said four of its Fastrac tractors equipped with trailers, and two of its backhoe loaders were being despatched to the worst affected areas. It said the machines would help to move people and livestock, shore up flood defences and clear debris. JCB has already supplied a 541-70 Loadall telescopic handler to support farmers hit by flooding.

JCB chairman Lord Bamford said, “As Britain’s biggest manufacturer of construction equipment we are in a position to provide machinery quickly to help families and farmers who are suffering so dreadfully through the floods. It’s my hope that the JCB machines we’re providing will help alleviate that suffering.”