Chip fat could be used in the road building process of the future, and help cut carbon emissions at the same time.

Helen Bailey, studying for a PhD in civil engineering materials at The University of East London, who is being supported by Aggregate Industries, has devised a process which replaces the bitumen, which is used bind the asphalt together, with used vegetable oil.

Aggregate Industries Express Asphalt testing centre in Newark is currently running trials on the new road surface which is awaiting patent.

Providing the vegetable oil based roads still provide adequate grip for vehicles and will not increase the risk of car accidents for motorists or increase the risk of pedestrian accidents with vehicles losing control more easily on the new type of road surface, then it should be encouraged and invested in as the future for road building in the UK.

Once the patent has come through it will have further tests on road surfacing projects in Lincolnshire.

If the trials do prove 100% successful and the new road surface is used across the UK, the road building industries carbon footprint would be massively reduced, and the reduction or seizure of the expensive import of crude oil based bitumen would save the UK economy millions.