UK heatwave: It's so hot the roads are melting

The UK is currently sweltering in a heatwave, with temperatures hitting such a high levels some roads are starting to melt.

As the mercury rose to 31C in Cambridgeshire road temperatures hit 40C, causing the surface of the roads to rip away and stick to vehicles’ wheels.

Agnes Owen, who works at a service station, said that it ‘sounded like cars were driving on water’.

She said: ‘The tyres were literally ripping the tarmac off the road. It’s quite dangerous.’

Cambridgeshire Police warned motorists to drive with care if they were in the area.

They later tweeted a picture of a gritter arriving to make the surface safe to drive on.

Evan Laughlin, from Cambridgeshire County Council, said that ‘normally the roads can stand the temperatures.’

He said: ‘The road surface temperatures are at 40C (104F) and above at midday. Normally the roads stand the summer temperatures we get, but just this week it’s very hot.’

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Temperatures in much of Britain will continue to soar until at least Wednesday as the country enjoys its longest continuous spell of high June temperatures since 1995.

The Met Office has issued the second highest heatwave alert for the entirety of Britain.

The level three amber warning is the last stage before a national emergency is declared.

The weather is likely to cool down by Friday, dipping closer to 21C in the capital.