A landmark trial has commenced on a new environmentally-sound road surface on the M1 motorway.

This sees a surface using recycled tyres laid on a section of the road between junctions 23 to 22 on the southbound carriageway of the M1 near Leicester.

Developed by Tarmac, this is an asphalt technology which recycles tyres by adding granulated rubber to the mix.

It is estimated by Tarmac that up to 750 waste tyres could be used in every kilometre of road surfaced with the new material, depending on the thickness of the road.

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The scheme is expected to bring both economic and environmental benefits, with over 500,000 disused tyres currently shipped out of the UK each year to be landfilled.

Highways England is funding the trial on the M1 to test the effective durability of the road surface on a highly trafficked network.

Paul Fleetham, managing director of Tarmac, added: "Technical innovation has a key role to play in improving the environmental performance of our roads. As a previously overlooked waste stream, used tyres offer a significant opportunity to unlock the benefits of a circular economy.

"There has been a very positive response to our rubberised asphalt since the first local authority trial was announced in May and we're very pleased to be working with Highways England to explore its potential to support the sustainability of the strategic road network."

(CM/JG)