The technique has been successfully tested in the laboratory by researchers at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham.

They were inspired by an edition of Masterchef where a contestant used spheres of jellified liquid in their cooking.

Dr Alvaro Garcia had the idea of placing capsules of oil in asphalt used for surfacing roads.

When roads start to crack, the capsules break open and release the oil within, softening the asphalt around it.

This helps the asphalt ‘stick’ back together, effectively filling in cracks and preventing small defects from deteriorating.

Highways England has now confirmed in its latest Strategic Road Network Report that the technique “will be tested on sections of road during overnight maintenance work, followed by a 12 to 24 month monitoring period.”

It is estimated the ‘Capheal’ technology could save £260m a year in road repair bills.

Dr Garcia said: “Our preliminary results showed that the capsules can resist the mixing and compaction processes without significantly reducing the physical and mechanical properties of asphalt and they also increased its durability.

“More importantly, we found that the cracked asphalt samples were restored to their full strength, two days after the sunflower oil was released.”