3.30pm UPDATE- ROAD REOPEN: Worcestershire Highways has provided an update to say temporary repairs on the sinkhole have now been completed, and Woolhope Road has reopened. 

The work was temporary repairs, to ensure the road closure will not be an issue over the Christmas period.

A spokeswoman for Worcestershire County Council said: "It was a temporary repair to make the area safe and so that we could reopen roads in time for Christmas for the residents.

"We'll be going back in the new year to investigate further."


11.55 UPDATE: Worcestershire Highways staff are at the sinkhole site, and digging down further as part of the investigation. 

A county council spokesman has told us staff are checking there is no major damage, and once this is confirmed, they will then be able to make the repairs.

9.40am LATEST: The sinkhole that appeared yesterday morning has caused the closure of Woolhope Road into a second day. 

Worcestershire Highways were due to continue investigations this morning, and then carry out temporary repairs.

A Worcestershire County Council spokesman said they expected these repairs will be completed "by close of play" today.


3.30pm UPDATE: The Worcester News has been told the road is to remain closed into tomorrow morning. 

Earlier Severn Trent Water investigated, but found the issue was not with STW pipes. 

Responsibility for the repairs passed back to Worcestershire Highways. 

A spokesman has said that the team will continue investigations tomorrow.

They will be digging further in, and using camera equipment. 

It is hoped temporary repairs can be carried out and finished tomorrow, so it is not causing an issue over the Christmas period.

11.25am UPDATE: A Worcester News reader has sent us the latest picture of the sinkhole. 

The reader says Worcestershire County Council workers have been trying to fill it, but then discovered it is one metre wider. 

The road remains closed while repairs continue.

Original story: WORCESTER motorists are being warned about a sinkhole which has caused the closure of Woolhope Road. 

West Mercia Police's Operations and Communications Centre are warning that the road, in Green Hill, is likely to be closed "for some time" after the discovery of the sinkhole overnight. 

The hole is one foot wide, and three foot deep. Worcestershire Highways workers are currently at the scene.

A worker from Worcestershire highways has told the Worcester News that they are currently investigating the sink hole, but it may have been caused by a possible sewer collapse.

A Worcestershire County Council spokeswoman said she had spoken with Jon Fraser, the county's head of highways, who said it is likely to be a collapsed drain. 

The spokesman said Severn Trent had been contacted but in the meantime highways workers would be digging down, and hopefully carry out a temporary repair. 

Last month, when a two foot hole appeared in Brickfields Road, Worcester News readers debated the difference between a sinkhole and pothole.

Mr Fraser clarified that a sinkhole was not the same as a pothole and was potentially very serious, because it was likely to be larger or longer than it appears.

A sinkhole is usually caused when water eats away at the ground underneath, forming a pit into which the top layer of earth or road may suddenly collapse.

Potholes are formed by traffic slowly breaking down concrete due to the presence of water in the soil beneath.

There are an estimated 16,868 potholes across Worcestershire.