ROADS damaged by the hot summer weather in Blackburn with Darwen are to be repaired before the end of the financial year.

The summer heatwave led to road surfaces softening in some places, which can then stick to tyres, and make the surface slippery.

Livesey Branch Road had patches affected on the stretch from Gib Lane to the Oyster and Otter restaurant, which is nearly a mile long.

Preston New Road also suffered for a half-mile stretch around the junction of Revidge Road.

Borough regeneration boss, Cllr Phil Riley, approved recommendations to carry out the repairs following the completion of a skid resistance survey on roads throughout the borough.

He said: "Every year, the council compiles a skid resistance survey and this year, it highlighted a number of issues resulting from the exceptionally high and sustained temperatures enjoyed through the summer of 2018.

"A number of options are available to repair this damage, including resurfacing and retexturing."

"It is recommended that remedial works are carried out on the roads during the fourth quarter of the current financial

year."

Preston New Road from Meins Road to Beardwood Drive, as well as Livesey Branch Road from Green Lane to Horden Rake and Higher Audley Street from Audley Range to Oxford Close are all to be resurfaced.

Retexturing work will be done on Preston New Road from Revidge Road to Saunders Road.

A number of other roads will have remedial resurfacing work during 2019/20 but could be brought forward if further Deparment for Transport funding becomes available.

These include Haslingden Road, Higher Eanam and Aqueduct Road, as well as Brandy House Brow and Bolton Road.

This financial year, the council received an initial £1.5m in maintenance funding from DfT, as well as a further £855,000.

Lancashire County Council had to fork out more than £850,000 for repairs after soaring temperatures melted roads.

At the time, gritters were deployed to put down granite dust on sticky spots to provide a protective layer.

But the county council had to spend £854,000 on repairing the worst-affected roads because they had become a skid risk as a result.