Drivers in the Central Bedfordshire region may have been held up on journeys in the last few days by a seasonally unusual sight…
The council confirmed that it has deployed its fleet of road gritters this week, which are typically locked away at this time of year awaiting winter duties to clear busy routes of snow and ice.
But they’ve been sent out in July as part of efforts to protect roads from damage caused by this week’s intense heat.
Bedfordshire has seen temperatures peak at 31C (87.8F) over recent four-day heatwave.
This was some way short of the highest experienced across the country, with St James’s Park in London registered 34.7C (94.4F) on Tuesday, while parts of Essex and Kent also topped 33C.
Central Bedfordshire Council explained to followers on Facebook that its gritters were needed to ensure road surfaces remained safe for traffic during the sweltering conditions.
In the post on Monday, it told its social media followers: ‘Some parts of Central Bedfordshire are experiencing very high road surface temperatures.
‘When this happens, tarmac can begin to soften, which may lead to surface damage.
‘To prevent this, we’re sending out gritters to spread a fine layer of crushed stone.
‘This helps protect the road surface and provides extra grip for vehicles.
‘You might not expect to see gritters in summer, but it’s an important part of looking after our roads during extreme weather conditions.’
Central Bedfordshire Council’s area includes several towns and a mix of smaller villages.
The larger towns include Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Biggleswade, Ampthill, Sandy, Shefford, and Stotfold.
Locals took to the comments on the post to respond to the surprising announcement.
One said: ‘As long as they don’t drive too fast when grit-spreading (naturally those chipped windscreens).’
Another posted: ‘[I] see gritters out in Spain and Portugal all the time. I’m surprised we can get hold of any gritters as they’re normally all in demand in Dubai.’
One of its followers simply said: ‘Maybe the roads will melt into the potholes!’
The Road Surface Treatments Association says roads are at risk of melting when surface temperatures reach 50C.
These surface temperature levels are easily achieved during heatwaves, with prolonged periods of intense sunshine absorbed into the tarmac.
Even when conditions drop into the low 20s towards the evening and overnight, road surface temperatures take far longer to cool.
Forecasters warned earlier this week that it would be highly likely that road surfaces across Britain would exceed 50C.
Central Bedfordshire Councils also said this week that its waste collection crews would be working at earlier times to avoid soaring temperatures experienced by mid to late morning.
