Woman narrowly avoids being hit by car after flipflop sticks to 'molten tarmac'
The heat became so intense in parts of the UK this weekend that one woman in Staffordshire narrowly avoided being hit by a car after her choice of footwear caused her to become stuck to the road.
Shocking images have shown tyres coated in a sticky substance from a residential road in Cannock, in the Midlands. Pic: SWNS
The town sizzled as UK temperatures soared well over the 30C mark this weekend, with residents on Gorsemoore Road complaining that molten road surfaces caused significant and costly damage to their cars.
The molten tarmac caused sufficient damage for the local council to close the road entirely on Friday and Saturday, allowing for emergency works to be carried out.
Speaking to Metro, local postman Roger Wain said that his neighbour's Range Rover SUV had been coated in tarmac as the mercury hit 31C on Friday. Pic: SWNS
He said: '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.'
The father-of-one added that he had been lucky to have kept away from the tarmac, but added that neighbours' cars and driveways had been 'ruined'.
Marc Edwards, neighbour of Mr Wain, told Metro that cars travelling up and down the road had been 'ripping up great big chunks' of tarmac, spreading it all over footpaths and driveways. Pic: SWNS
Mr Edwards added: ''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.'
Following on from several serious complaints made against the council regarding the state of the road and the damage caused to personal property, Peter Mason, Staffordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Strategic Highways, said that they 'are aware' of the condition of Gorsemoor Road.
'Over the weekend, temperatures in Staffordshire are reaching over 30°C, significantly increasing the risk of surface melting on newly laid roads,' he told the UK publication. Pic: SWNS
It is understood that gritting lorries, used to melt icy roads in the winter, have been deployed to the area, as well as to several others around the UK and Northern Ireland, to cool road surfaces.
The vehicles disperse granite dust onto the tarmac, helping to soften the surface and enhance traction for drivers.
However, the UK and Ireland are set to cool down significantly from today, July 14, after extreme heat lingered across Western Europe for several days last week.
Several records were broken yesterday in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, which all recorded their warmest days of the year so far.
However, England, Ireland and Northern Ireland are set for cooler temperatures in the coming days after weather experts predicted heavy rain and thunderstorms for the islands.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- RTÉ News
Firefighters battle blazes in Turkey, Greece and Albania
Firefighters are battling to put out wildfires in three separate provinces of Turkey, in Greece and near a tourist resort in Albania, stoked by strong winds after days of searing heat across the Mediterranean region. Smoke billowed over the mountainous Black Sea province of Karabuk, 200km north of the capital Ankara, as a wildfire which raged for a sixth day forced the evacuation of more than a dozen villages and burnt swathes of forests. In the northwestern province of Bursa, three firefighters were killed yesterday when their vehicle crashed, Turkey's Forestry Ministry said. Crews fought two separate blazes there yesterday, following the evacuation of more than 3,600 people from settlements in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya. Turkey has suffered dozens of wildfires in recent weeks as temperatures have soared, and ten firefighters were killed last week battling a blaze in the central Eskisehir province. Hot and dry summers are common in the Mediterranean region, but more intense heatwaves have contributed to destructive wildfires in recent years amid fast-rising temperatures across the globe. At least 44 wildfires broke out in Greece in the past 24 hours, the fire brigade said this afternoon. On the southern Greek island of Kythera, strong winds rekindled a blaze burning since Saturday. In Athens, firefighters quickly contained a fire that broke out at the foot of Mount Hymettus, near a university campus and densely populated suburbs. In Albania, over 900 firefighters assisted by the army battled to control a wildfire before it reached the seaside city of Saranda and other tourist resorts in the south of the country on the Ionian coast. Some 13 people have been arrested for arson-related offences in the past three days, police said. Bulgaria, assisted by several European countries, deployed firefighting planes to help tame a large wildfire near the Bulgarian-Turkish border. So far, the flames have scorched about 16,000 acres in total. Two people have been detained by authorities investigating the cause of the fires, according to local media. Over the weekend, several villages in Greece wereevacuated and five people were injured in separate wildfires. As Greece saw off its third summer heatwave today, rainy weather in Serbia helped firefighters there bring more than 100 wildfires under control.
The Irish Sun
26-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Huge wildfires spreads across Athens and two popular Greek islands as thousands are evacuated
MASSIVE wildfires have erupted in Greece after a week-long heatwave peaked with temperatures surpassing 45 degrees. Thousands of people have reportedly been evacuated as fires swept villages near 9 Smoke and flame rise as firefighting teams respond from the air and on the ground to a forest fire that broke out in Krioneri near Athens, Greece Credit: Getty 9 Firefighters try to extinguish flames as a wildfire burns Credit: Reuters 9 Local residents try to extinguish the fire of a burning house during a wildfire near Athens Credit: AFP A Residents of the town of Kryoneri, some 12 miles northeast of Athens, received three SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas. While residents of the nearby village of Krioneri were instructed by authorities to evacuate. Explosions could be heard as huge clouds of smoke covered Drosopigi village, 15 miles north of Athens, where factories with flammable material are located. more on wildfires Helicopters dropped water, and 65 firefighters battled the flames, assisted by 26 vehicles and two aircraft. Fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the southwest of Greece's two largest islands, Crete in the south and Evia. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight, authorities revealed. In total, 52 wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, a spokesman for the fire department said. Most read in The US Sun Strong winds are causing the fire to spread rapidly and prompting evacuations of several settlements . On the island of Evia, 115 firefighters and 24 vehicles were deployed to put out fires, assisted by six aircraft and seven helicopters, but strong winds were hampering their efforts. Moment Brit expats tour smouldering shell of Cyprus home they fled as deadly wildfires hit Residents of the island's Triada area were told to be ready in case they needed to leave. The fire on Evia is the latest in a series of bushfires stoked by strong winds and dry conditions this month. On the island of Kythera, authorities evacuated the villages of Aroniadika, Pitsinades and Aryoi. In the area of Messinia, west of Athens, residents of the Kryoneri and Sellas villages were also told to leave. These sites were on a list of Greek regions on high alert for wildfires due to record-breaking temperatures and strong winds due on Saturday. Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 44 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the Greek weather service said. Wildfires, many of them destructive, Several Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. 9 Smoke and flame rise as firefighting teams respond from the air and on the ground to a forest fire that broke out in Krioneri near Athens Credit: Getty 9 A forest fire that broke out in Krioneri near Athens, Greece on July 26, 2025 Credit: Getty 9 A helicopter drops water on a burning house during a wildfire in Kryoneri Credit: AFP 9 Smoke covers the sky during a wildfire, in the northwestern suburb of Kryoneri Credit: AP These have become more destructive in recent years. Some 1,500 people were The night sky turned orange as the burning blazes left a trail of destruction on the popular island. Evacuations were ordered at three sites outside the port of Ierapetra on the island's south coast, authorities said. Meanwhile, devastating wildfires have again erupted in Turkey, with hundreds of people evacuated as massive blazes continue to rip through the country. Presidetn Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned of a "truly great disaster" after at least New wildfires broke out on Turkey's Mediterranean coast on Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be "disaster zones". East of Antalya, fires broke out in Adana and Mersin on Friday. Elsewhere in the country, firefighters continued battling blazes in Eskisehir and nearby Karabuk that have been raging for several days. Meanwhile, Cyprus has been hit with its heatwave will fuel the blaze even further. The country has plunged into chaos after two people were burnt alive and more than 70 houses were destroyed. 9 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey Credit: AP 9 A view of smoke rising from a forest fire burning in the mountainous area in Turkey Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
25-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Huge wildfires rage across Turkey as 13 dead & ‘disaster zones' declared – as president warns of ‘truly great disaster'
DEVASTATING wildfires have once again erupted in Turkey with hundreds of people evacuated as massive blazes continue to rip through the country. The president of the country has warned of a "truly great disaster" after at least Advertisement 10 A view of smoke rising from a forest fire burning in the mountainous area in Turkey Credit: Getty 10 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Ridvan Bostanci/IHA via AP) Credit: AP 10 Turkish General Directorate of Forestry teams and firefighters continue their efforts to extinguish the fire that broke out in the forested areas in Alanya and Gazipasa Credit: Getty 10 Smoke and flames rise among the trees as villagers are being evacuated after a forest fire Credit: Getty New wildfires broke out on Turkey's Mediterranean coast on Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be "disaster zones". East of Antalya, fires broke out in Adana and Mersin on Friday. Elsewhere in the country, firefighters continued battling blazes in Eskisehir and nearby Karabuk that have been raging for several days. Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, where local and foreign visitors flock during the summer months. Advertisement read more world news Homes were evacuated in the city centre and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, news agency DHA reported. Firefighters struggled to extinguish the blazes before strong winds could spread the fire, which closed a major coastal road. Further along the coast, homes in the city of Manavgat were also threatened. Local residents with hoses and buckets rushed to assist firefighters as water-dropping helicopters and planes also battled the flames. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in the firefighting efforts. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the country faced "a truly great disaster" after 25,000 people got involved in the emergency effort. Two burned alive in Cyprus & another 10 killed in Turkey in horror wildfires On Thursday, at least six separate wildfires were burning across Turkey. Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and blazing heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions. Advertisement He said that ten firefighters were killed while battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province, Yumakli said late on Wednesday, adding that 14 others were injured. Fanned by strong winds, the fire later spread to another central province, Afyonkarahisar. In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth straight day, as firefighters struggled to contain them. Residents were evacuated from fire-threatened areas of all three Turkish provinces, though some residents were later allowed to return to areas in Bilecik that were declared safe. Advertisement 10 Smoke rises from the burnt area as firefighting efforts continue on the third day of forest fires in Turkish city of Karabuk on July 25 Credit: Getty 10 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey Credit: AP 10 Firefighters respond to a wildfire near Osmaneli in the western Bilecik province, Turkey Credit: Reuters 10 Advertisement Another fire in the neighbouring province of Karabuk, where the UNESCO World Heritage City of Safranbolu is located, quickly grew and led to 10 villages being evacuated. Antalya Gov. Hulusi Sahin said that the fires were under control apart from one in Aksu, which was showing a tendency to grow, and another in Gazipasa, east of Manavgat. "The fires were truly disturbing and dangerous, because they occurred in city centres, among houses," he said. "We evacuated some of our homes ... There are no deaths or injuries." Advertisement At 46.1°C, July temperatures in Antalya city were the highest for the month since records began in 1930. Turkey has faced Firefighters were Residents watched in Advertisement Aftermath photos showed scorched cars and buildings while firefighters worked desperately to fight the Meanwhile, Cyprus has been hit with its heatwave will fuel the blaze even further. The country has plunged into chaos after two people were burnt alive and more than 70 houses were destroyed. 10 Smoke fills the air as firefighters battle a forest fire the Cypriot village of Omodos Credit: AFP Advertisement 10 Residents try to extinguish the blazes in Cyprus Credit: AP
