A MAIN road will remain shut for the foreseeable future after a 'large sinkhole' opened up.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has confirmed the A556 Shurlach Road in Lostock Gralam will be closed for the rest of the week.

This comes after a damage drainage pipe in the carriageway caused the road to collapse.

Cheshire Police first alerted the council to the situation last night (September 3) and an emergency road closure was put in place.

A police spokesman said: "The A556 is currently closed westbound due to a large sinkhole at Lostock Gralam."

READ MORE: Drivers warned to avoid A556 as 'large' sinkhole closes westbound carriageway

The closure is in force on the westbound carriageway between the A559 Manchester Road and A530 King Street roundabout.

Investigations have been taking place today and it has been determined that works are needed to repair the damaged pipe.

The council has stated that due to the depth of the drainage pipe and its close proximity to the centre line, the road will need to remain closed 'for safety reasons' as repairs are carried out.

Emergency repairs are set to start tomorrow (Tuesday, September 5) with the aim of having the road re-open 'as soon as possible'.

“It is expected that the road will need to remain closed this week, so that the works can be undertaken safely,” added a CWAC spokesperson.

A signed diversion route is being put in place which will take motorists along the A559 Manchester Road, A533 Kingsmead and A556 Shurlach Road.

All current roadworks along the diversion route have been assessed and if possible, utility companies have been asked to remove any traffic management to help reduce disruption.

The council’s Highways team will continue to monitor all major junctions along the diversion route and consider whether traffic signal timing alternations or manual control would be beneficial to help traffic flow.