A MAIN road in town was forced to close in Warrington due to a huge hole appearing across both lanes.

The emergency closure of Sankey Way, A57, sent the town into gridlock today, Thursday.

Motorists were hit with long delays on a number of roads across Bewsey and the town centre, including Old Liverpool Road, Liverpool Road, and Wilson Patten Street.

Heavy traffic was also reported on Winwick Road due to this route being used for diversions.

A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said the closure was due to overnight roadworks, which are taking place on Sankey Way between 7pm to 5am each day for six weeks, being hit by rain.

This saw the westbound carriageway, heading away from the town centre towards Sankey and Widnes, being closed.

Earlier today, residents reported seeing a ‘huge hole’ on Sankey Way across both lanes of the road away from the town centre, describing it as being ‘at least one foot deep’.

The road was closed shortly after 9am.

One person said: “Drove down there this morning, the dip in the road was so deep that I hurt my neck with the jolt.”

Another said: “Smashed one of my cars to bits this morning on the way in, absolutely horrific.”

Following emergency repair works, Sankey Way was opened at around 3pm this afternoon.