When Shipley Airedale Road sinkhole will be fixed - see Bradford Council's full update

The hole opened on the Shipley Airedale Road near the Sikh temple and junction of Leeds Road at Little Germany on Tuesday.

A small hole – not large enough to get a hand in – can be spotted on part of the road's surface.

The hole appears to open up into a larger area under the tarmac.

The right-hand lane on Shipley Airedale Road going towards Shipley has been shut since the discovery and led to significant traffic disruption at peak times.

Teams from Bradford Council and Yorkshire Water have been working at the site to work out why the sinkhole had occurred and who was responsible.

Work found the sinkhole had not been impacted by the sewage system underneath, but further excavations failed to work out what else could have caused it.

The road is likely to be fixed by the weekend.

In its latest update, a spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “Our contractors have been on site this morning and all the soft material below the hole has been removed.

“Investigations into the causes of the hole have been inconclusive. The excavations will now be backfilled, resealed and allowed to set.

“We expect the affected lane will be back in operation on Saturday morning.”

At the time of the discovery, Bradford Council tweeted: "Significant disruption is expected this evening on the Airedale Road, Bradford, Shipley-bound. This is due to a sinkhole opening on the third lane opposite the Sikh Temple/Peckover Street.

"Traffic management is currently on the scene, however we recommend that motorists avoid this area where possible until the problem is resolved. This is likely to be some time until all investigations are complete."

What is a sinkhole and are they caused by bad weather?

A sinkhole, sometimes called a doline, is a hole in the ground usually formed when water dissolves an underlying layer of rock.

As the rock dissolves, spaces develop underground, causing the land on the surface to collapse into the hole underneath.

Some sinkholes are created slowly, while others can suddenly appear.

The later is referred to as a “drop out” sinkhole, according to the British Geological Survey (BGS), which they refer to as the “more spectacular collapses”.

They have both natural and human causes and can vary in width and depth, ranging from a slight depression to a huge hole – swallowing parts of roads, or even buildings.

How a sinkhole forms - explained. Picture: PA Graphics (Image: PA Graphics)

What can trigger a sinkhole?

Sinkholes can form following heavy rain or surface flooding, BGS said.

This is because these factors can cause an increase in erosion underground, as well as weakening the land above.

But they can also be triggered by leaking drain pipes, burst water mains or irrigation, while construction works and mining can also be a factor.

The BGS said areas that are prone to sinkholes include parts of Wales, the Peak District and the northern Pennines including the Yorkshire Dales.

One of the UK’s most sinkhole-prone areas is Ripon in North Yorkshire as it sits on a layer of “gypsum” – a water-soluble rock.