A NUMBER of roads across Somerset have "melted" in the extreme heat, according to the county council.

The local authority has sent out highways workers to protect the roads as the heatwave continues apace.

A tweet from Travel Somerset has compared compared the road surfaces to chocolate.

The social media thread says: "We told you it was hot.

"The blistering heat has caused some roads to melt (yes, melt).

"We are doing all we can to protect the roads.

"We will continue to monitor the situation over the next few days.

"When this occurs, we send out a team to spread granite dust to absorb the soft bitumen and so stabilise the road surface.

"The road network has 5% of 'polymer modified binders in hot rolled asphalt' roads. These can absorb up to 80C. But these are more expensive.

"It is particularly problematic in countries that experience the two extremes of weather.

"Think of the asphalt like chocolate – it melts and softens when it’s hot and goes hard and brittle when it’s cold.

"As a result, it doesn’t maintain the same strength all year round."