UPDATE January 6: Herefordshire Council have confirmed that the road is set to reopen this afternoon.

A STREET in Hereford will be closed until next week after a sinkhole appeared in the carriageway.

Union Street was closed on December 31 after the sinkhole appeared, but Herefordshire Council said it's likely to be early next week before work to repair the road is completed.

Hereford Times: The road remains closed.The road remains closed.

Drivers are being advised to use an alternative route via Gaol Street.

The hole, which is behind the McDonald's restaurant, has been inspected by Welsh Water, and no damage to the sewer was found.

A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said: “Highways teams carried out an inspection of the sink hole on Union Street yesterday (January 2) in partnership with Welsh Water, which showed no structural damage to the sewer.

"We will be carrying out works this week to remove damaged tarmac and repair the lower portion of the road surface. Once these works have been completed we will reinstate the upper layer of the road surface.

“For safety reasons, the road will remain closed until works have been fully completed, and we anticipate that we will be in a position to open the road early next week.”

The road was previously closed in May 2015, after a similar hole appeared just metres from the new sinkhole.

The previous hole was filled in after Welsh Water engineers completed an investigation on the site.

READ MORE: Union Street remains closed as Welsh Water investigate sinkhole

Hereford Times: Hereford city centre road remains closed by sink hole. Picture: BBC Hereford and WorcesterHereford city centre road remains closed by sink hole. Picture: BBC Hereford and Worcester