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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Damon Wilkinson & Charlie Duffield

UK heatwave melts entire street with cars forced to drive through 'sticky, black goo'

During today's heatwave, extreme temperatures have melted a busy road in Stockport.

Broadstone Road was turned into sticky, black goo as the heat liquefied the asphalt.

One bystander said it sounded as if cars were 'driving through water', Manchester Evening News reports.

He described how his feet sank into the soft road surface, adding: "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 - exceeding the previous record of 33.9C from July 25, 2019.

Broadstone Road in Reddish had 'melted' due to record temperatures. (Manchester Evening News)

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.

Drivers drove through puddles on the road (Manchester Evening News)

"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."

Stockport council have been contacted for a comment.

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