A SINKHOLE at least a metre deep has appeared in a busy town high street.

The hole appeared at a bus stop outside the Baby & Toddler Kingdom shop, in Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, at about 3pm this afternoon.

Police cordoned off the area while the fire brigade also sent an engine and their rapid response unit.

The sinkhole has since been assessed by a structural engineer from Durham County Council as well as the water and electricity boards.

A police officer at the scene said: "The road is going to reopen as the electricity board are just doing some checks to make sure the power is not going to be shut off.

"We are going to have the nearside lane closed and traffic controls in place."

Ebony Leach, owner of Baby & Toddler Kingdom, said she was quite shocked to find the hole outside her shop.

"It's just a bit scary, especially as the same thing happened to Mothercare when it was on this street years ago," she said. 

"The officials are just down in the cellar now making sure everything is safe.

"Luckily all the prams on order are all safe."