AN EVERYDAY household item could be the solution to the UK’s pothole hell by creating roads that fix cracks in less than an hour.
Potholes have wreaked havoc across the country – costing the nation a whopping £14.4billion.
They typically occur when water seeps into a road and freezes.
The frozen water then expands and causes the asphalt, which is used to surface roads, to crack and leave behind these nightmare craters.
But clever engineers think they may have found a cure to one of motorists’ biggest headache.
According to research, adding recycled cooking oil to asphalt will prevent potholes from forming, reports The Times.
The oil will fill any small cracks when they begin to form, stopping roads from becoming brittle.
In experiments, these “self-healing” roads were shown to completely repair new cracks in less than an hour.
Researchers also estimate this process will extend a road’s lifespan by a whopping 30 per cent.
This comes just a month after experts warned of the issues posed by potholes, that run beyond the usual punctured tyres and bent wheels.
Chris Jevons, a car repair specialist at JTAPE, said the damage lurking beneath the surface is harder to detect but often just as expensive.
He said: “Potholes don’t just damage your tyres and wheels, they can scrape vital underbody components, cause fluid leaks, and dislodge the sensors that modern vehicles rely on for safety and performance.
“These hidden damages often go unnoticed until they lead to significant and costly problems.
“As repair costs continue to rise, it’s crucial for drivers to understand that potholes don’t just damage what you can see, they can also affect the unseen, high-tech components that keep your car safe and operational.”
Some of the dearest damage a pothole can do is to dislodge the high-tech safety sensors most modern cars are equipped with.
These have a range of uses including alerting a driver when they have strayed from their lane to automatic breaking and adaptable cruise control.
Chris said: “What many drivers don’t realise is that a single pothole impact can knock these sensors out of alignment or even dislodge them entirely.”
Indeed, the past year has seen a massive jump in claims for damage related to potholes, each costing drivers hundreds to repair.
Data compiled from 18 local authorities by the RAC show some regions experiencing spikes in claims by up to 366%.
The Club also compiled a list of worst offenders based on the number of claims per mile of road under the council’s jurisdiction.
By that metric, Surrey came out worst with 3,418 claims made for just 3,410 miles of road – a rate of one claim every mile.
Behind that, Hampshire, Essex and Hertfordshire were all tied on two in a poor outing for the Home Counties.
They were followed by Kent and Lincolnshire on four, with Gloucestershire rounding out the top five on five.
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