Forty-two roads in Wiltshire have melted due to extreme levels of heat over the last few days.

Temperatures soared all around the county, causing chaos around the county from wildfires, school closures to freezer breakdowns.

Wiltshire Times: Temperature showing heat levels of 40°C in one car driving through Wiltshire. Photo: Trevor Porter.Temperature showing heat levels of 40°C in one car driving through Wiltshire. Photo: Trevor Porter.

Crews from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have also been called out to attend 45 fires in the open between the Sunday, July 17 to July 20, as the extreme levels of heat hit the county.

In one instance, a fire broke out near the iconic site of Stonehenge yesterday.

Drivers were urged to avoid the area by emergency services as smoke clouded the area, forcing the A303 to shut down temporarily.

Crews from Wilton and Salisbury along with landrovers from Ludgershall, Cranborne and water carriers from Poole all flocked to the scene.

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service said: “The stop came in at 4:20pm and the incident was scaled back pretty quickly and as we threw a lot of resources at it early on to avoid escalation of the fire.”

Wiltshire Times: Roads being dusted with sand to keep the temperatures lower. Photo: Wiltshire Council.Roads being dusted with sand to keep the temperatures lower. Photo: Wiltshire Council.

Food shops also felt the impact, with reports around the county of chilled sections of the shop being out of use.

Tesco customers were met with empty shelves in Trowbridge, as all the freezers in the town’s Tesco Extra also went down.

Wiltshire Times: Shoppers were faced with empty freezers in Trowbridge’s Tesco Extra. Photo: Trevor Porter.Shoppers were faced with empty freezers in Trowbridge’s Tesco Extra. Photo: Trevor Porter.

Roads in Wiltshire have also been affected by the extreme weather, with 42 roads having to be treated after melting on Monday (18/07) and Tuesday (19/07).

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Highways told this newspaper: “Roads in the sun can reach temperatures over 50°C. Asphalt can melt and soften when it is extremely hot or can go hard and brittle when it is cold – it does not maintain the same strength all year round.

“The Highways team is responsible for managing the road surfaces and this can be challenging during extreme weather. 

"The road network is monitored and checked regularly to ensure action is taken timely. Roads that are at risk, such as older roads with little cover or newly laid roads that have yet to harden, are dusted with sand to keep the temperatures lower and reduce the likelihood of melting.

"Modern road surfaces tend to have a higher softening point due to increased polymers in the asphalt.

“Roads in our network have been dusted, and the teams will continue to monitor throughout this period of hot weather.”