On three of our footways (that’s a footpath next to a road) major cracks have appeared. On Cambridge Road next to the Gatehouse Lane junction in Oakington (left picture above), on Histon Road as you walk or cycle south out of Cottenham (centre one) and on Cambridge Road next to the B1049 in Impington the tarmac surface has ruptured. Neither footway is dangerous yet but they certainly look like they’re going to get worse.

County Councillor David Jenkins observed: ‘it’s not been a hot summer so I wouldn’t expect any problems from the tarmac melting or from differential expansion. I’ve also seen this problem on other footways in the county and worry that we might have got a bad batch of tarmac or that our contractor has not done its job properly.’

‘Both footways are also cycle paths although neither fills this role terribly well and it’s possible that these cracks could soon be wide enough to trap a cycle wheel with the attendant risk.  I have asked the council to make repairs.’