This is an often-debated question in the industry, with varying answers depending on the intended user. These hardening and curing characteristics mean that the repair can be trafficked immediately, which is one of the main reasons permanent cold-lay surfacing materials (PCSMs) are very popular with reactive maintenance crews. Road planings need to cool before being repurposed, but can then become a hardwearing and stable surface for hardstandings such as car parks, footpaths, haul roads, farm tracks and yards.

Dave shares, “There is no minimum temperature to apply our range of cold lay tarmac products as there is nothing in the material that freezes. Formulas such as Permanent Pothole Repair, Instant Pothole Repair and Tough Patch contain high-grade materials to help you fix reinstatements permanently. I'm not needing this to be trafficed for another six weeks or so, so if cold tar needs a bit of time to set and bond, that's OK. Obviously as this is at the start of the driveway, it's only ever going to be driven over at about 5mph, but my gut feeling is that concrete laid on tar will crack under a heavy load.

But to be on the safe side, Dave advises not to fix potholes when the temperature is close to freezing. Sticking down something on top could work, depending on the bond to the existing tar- I wonder if some of the plastic/rubber speedbumps would let too much water through underneath? Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to storing unopened bags of ready-mixed asphalt – and especially during the winter months.

Slipbond has been formulated with extended workability for fixing brick slips and natural stone to a range of substrates. But I'm loath to cut down into the relatively thin tar of the bellmouth, as I think it will leave a small and weakened strip on the downhill side. Although we recommend the simple method mentioned above to soften bagged asphalt (of using pressure from your knee to soften the mixture), there are other methods you could consider.The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.