Woman nearly hit by car after her flip-flop got ‘stuck in molten tarmac’

The heat in Britain this weekend has broken records – and appeared to even turn roads into molten tarmac.

The heat was so intense that a woman in Cannock, Staffordshire, was almost hit by a car while crossing the sticky streets when her flip-flop got stuck in the melted tarmac, local MP Josh Newbury said.

Shocking pictures have shown tyres coated in the sticky substance from a residential road in Cannock.

The town sizzled as temperatures soared to more than 30C over the weekend, with residents on Gorsemoor Road saying the molten road surfaces have caused expensive damage to their cars.

The problem was so bad, the council’s highways department closed the road completely on Friday and Saturday to carry out repairs.

Postman Roger Wain, 49, said a neighbour’s Range Rover had been coated in tarmac as the weather reached highs of 31C.

The dad-of-one said: ‘It’s obviously changed the road surface and the look, and that’s partly down to the weather.

‘It’s ripped parts of the road up. They resurfaced it four or five weeks ago, whether it wasn’t done properly or whether it was a combination of the heat and a shoddy job.

‘I’ve been lucky and kept out of the way, but a few people have had it stick to their tyres. One of the neighbours said a resident a few doors down came back with a Range Rover and it all stuck to the tyres, and well, they pulled up all the tarmac had gone all over their drive and ruined the wheels and driveway.’

Neighbour Marc Edwards, 44, added: ‘When you drive on the road, you’re literally ripping up great big chunks of tarmac and when you put the car onto the drive, it’s bringing all the tar onto the drives and it’s just spreading all over them.

‘It’s wrecking loads of people’s drives all up and down the street, and it’s hardening on the tyres overnight. We thought potholes were bad, but this is ridiculous.’

One driver has been quoted £300 to repair her tyres, which are coated in tarmac and stones.

Shaun Dennis only uses his car early in the morning or late at night when the roads will be their coolest.

He said: ‘Motorways don’t melt, roads in Spain don’t melt, certain roads that you drive on in this temperature aren’t melting. So there’s obviously something fundamentally wrong about the work that’s been done here.’

Peter Mason, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Highways, said: ‘We are aware of the current condition of Gorsemoor Road in Cannock and have been working closely with our contractors to address the issue as a priority.

‘Over the weekend, temperatures in Staffordshire are reaching over 30°C, significantly increasing the risk of surface melting on newly laid roads.’

Gritters normally used to melt icy roads in the winter have been deployed around the county to cool the road surfaces.

The vehicles spread granite dust onto the tarmac, which helps absorb the softened substance and improves grip for motorists.

But the UK is set to finally cool down, after parts of England, Scotland and Wales all reached 30C today during Britain’s third heatwave of 2025.

Several records were broken yesterday in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, which all recorded their warmest days of the year so far.

Though today was still a bit of a swelterer, temperatures were slightly lower and will continue to dip throughout the week.

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