FURTHER delays to re-opening the A556 in Lostock Gralam have been announced.

Bad weather has again held up work to backfill the sinkhole which appeared in the westbound carriageway on Sunday, September 3.

Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) were working towards a target of rush hour today, Thursday, to have the road reopen.

However, the council has now said due to heavy rain yesterday, the work could not go ahead.

The westbound carriageway has been closed since a sinkhole opened up and the eastbound carriageway also closed on Friday, September 15 to allow work to proceed safely .

Workers have encountered several problems along the way, including a collapsed drain, while trying to get the road open.

A new target date for reopening the road has been set for Friday, September 22, some time in the morning.

A spokesman for CWAC said: “Due to heavy rain, work to backfill the trench has been delayed.

“Resurfacing will now take place on Friday morning. The road is expected to reopen on Friday afternoon.

“Thank you for your ongoing patience.”