Melted tar on a Suffolk roadway that created a messy and sticky situation has been linked to outside contractors hired by Suffolk County Public Works. 

Some drivers said the melting road tar was unbearable Thursday during the hottest day of the year so far. The liquid tar, meant to seal cracks in the road, never dried, and was smeared by car tires on busy Great East Neck Road in West Babylon. 

West Babylon wasn't the only place with melting tar. News 12 got complaints from Lindenhurst and Huntington. 

Late this afternoon, Suffolk County Public Works told News 12 that the problem started with a contractor it hired to do road patching in January. 

Commissioner Gil Anderson says the outside crew used "non-specified materials." 

Suffolk County Public Works says the tar spill will be cleaned up in a "timely fashion." If needed, it said they may have to grind some of the surface road and repave it during cooler weather.