A truck driver in China stopped his vehicle during a heatwave and ended up sinking into the melting tarmac.

The Wuhan, Hubei province road, which was reportedly recently repaired, simply gave way in the searing 40 degree heat.

"I had stopped for a few minutes and I noticed the truck seemed to be getting lower. Then the road disappeared beneath me," driver Fen Lu told police.

Highway officials have since blamed the shoddy work of contractors.

"It's quite clear from examining the hole that the tarmac, which is cheap, is too deep while the foundations and underpinning, which are expensive, are too shallow," a spokesperson said.