'It sounded like cars were driving through water': A road in Stockport has MELTED due to the extreme heat
Extreme temperatures melted a busy road during Monday's heatwave. Broadstone Road in Stockport was turned into sticky, black goo as the heat liquified the asphalt.
One onlooker said it sounded like cars were 'driving through water' and described how his feet sank into the soft road surface. They added: "It sounded like it had just rained and the cars were driving through the puddles."It was that soft your feet got stuck in it if you walked across. The tarmac was all stuck in the treads of my tyres."
Temperatures hit a record 34.3C in Greater Manchester today - beating the previous record of 33.9C from July 25, 2019. Roads in the sun can get as hot as 50C, and at these temperatures, they begin to become soft, according to the Road Surface Treatments Association. This is because the road surface absorbs heat and this builds up during the day.
When temperatures soar some councils grit the roads to prevent them from melting. Speaking last week Howard Robinson, chief executive of the Road Surface Treatments Association, said: "Drivers may be bemused to see the gritters out in the summer when they are usually spreading grit and salt during the winter.
"However, this is effective standard practice for keeping a road surface safe during extreme prolonged hot temperatures. Asphalt is a bit like chocolate – it melts and softens when it’s hot and goes hard and brittle when it’s cold – it doesn’t maintain the same strength all year round."
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