AN UNUSUAL windscreen de-icing 'hack' able to get rid of frost in seconds has gone viral - but drivers risk costly damage to their car if they try it.
Footage shows a motorist dragging a food storage bag filled with warm water down their frozen windscreen, instantly clearing away the ice.
Daniel Harris, who posted the video on Facebook, wrote: "Hot water in a food bag and bam you've got a de-icer and a hand warmer. Works a treat, and it's fast."
And in an updated caption, the user wrote: "I used warm tap water so I could safely hold it and lower the risk of cracking my screen."
The video has already amassed 1.7million views and has been shared almost 20,000 times among motorists looking for a quick way to beat Britain's freezing temperatures.
But experts have warned the trick could end up causing serious damage to your car's windscreen, leaving your with an expensive repair bill.
Pouring warm or hot water onto a frozen windscreen can create a thermal shock by rapidly changing the temperature of the glass.
This could cause your windscreen to expand and crack - or make any existing chips or cracks much worse.
The best way to de-ice glass on your car is using a proper ice scraper, or by putting a towel soaked in sat water on your windscreen overnight to prevent frost in the first place.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Research, said: “Anything involving applying warm water to a frozen windscreen does risk causing a crack or making an existing one even worse.
"The melted water may refreeze on wipers or in the engine compartment and using it on a side window also risks icing up locks or door handles.
"Using a de-icer spray or aerosol should be just as quick and if you have heavy snow or ice then a scraper will be required anyway."
Rod Dennis, RAC spokesperson, said: “Any driver using hot or warm water in this way seriously risks cracking their windscreen.
"It’s all down to how hot the water is, and how cold the windscreen is – something that’s not at all easy to judge.
“This is one hack that could seriously backfire. Our advice is to stick with what always works, and costs next-to-nothing – a good can of de-icer.”
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Repair bills aside, cracks and chips in your windscreen can also prove costly if you don't get them fixed.
Police can fine you for damage to your windscreen, and penalties can rise into the thousands if it affects your ability to see the road properly.
The AA has also warned against the water bag trick, as melted ice left on top of the windscreen could easily re-freeze in low temperatures, potentially blocking a driver's vision.
George Flinton, AA Patrol of the Year, said: "This method leaves a film of water on the screen which, if it's cold enough, is likely to refreeze quickly and render the 'hack' pointless.
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"The easiest and best way to clear a windscreen is to use a scraper. It works in all temperatures, on all types of ice and leaves the screen virtually dry which means it's less likely to refreeze."
If you fail to clear all ice from your windscreen, or water re-freezes and blocks your view of the road, you could be slapped with a hefty penalty for "portholing".
And leaving your car idling while you try to defrost your windscreen could see you fined as well - or even invalidate your insurance.
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