For every action. . .

. . . there is an equal and opposite reaction, plus an unlimited number of unintended consequences.

The Flintshire County Council in Wales recently decided to change their procedures for de-icing the local roads. Instead of spreading rock salt, which is effective but can be corrosive to vehicles and roads, they shifted to a more environmentally-friendly product - a starch and grit mixture that is coated in molasses to allow it to stick to the roads more easily than the salt did.

In principle, this was a fantastic move. The new material is derived from agricultural byproducts and is totally biodegradable. The molasses let the new grit stick to the road better, meaining that less got wasted in the ditches. The new product is better for the cars and the roads than the rock salt was. There was just one tiny little problem.

The sheep.

It turns out (as I understand it from listening to As it Happens yesterday) that there are some common land areas where sheep graze in that county. Because they are common land, they are unfenced. This means that the sheep can get onto the road. And the sheep just love the molasses.

This has lead to a new problem. The roads have, in some cases, become completely blocked by crowds of sheep, all with their heads down, licking away at the sweet molasses.

Don't you just love unintentional consequences?