Road closed between Medomsley and Lintzford after sinkhole opens

The sinkhole opened up at Medomsley Bank on Tuesday afternoon

A sinkhole about 4ft (1.2m) wide has opened up in a road in County Durham.

Durham County Council workers have shut the road, where the B6310 at Medomsley Bank joins the A694 near Lintzford, and are investigating why the hole appeared on Tuesday afternoon.

Police urged motorists to avoid the area and said there was already a large build-up of traffic in the area.

The council said it would keep motorists informed about when the road would reopen.

Highways services manager Anthea Coxon said: "Engineers are currently assessing the situation and trying to determine the cause. As part of this investigation, we are in contact with the Coal Authority and Northumbrian Water.

"Once the cause and scale of the sinkhole are established, a programme of repairs will begin as soon as possible."

Motorists are asked to find alternative routes while the road is closed

Among the comments on Facebook one person said: "I went over it around 5 and it wasn't that big, but big enough. Quite scary how it's wide it's got!"

Another posted: "The traffic through Burnopfield is a nightmare at the minute with roadworks so it's gonna be mayhem!"

While another posted: "Lights in Rowlands Gill are bad enough, end of Fellside Rd also awful. Anyone got a helicopter?"