Huge 20-foot sinkhole opens up on the M62 near Rochdale after heavy rains

The Highways Agency said they expected traffic to return to normal by 6PM on Boxing Day

Congestion on the M8 during the 2011 festive period, during which cold weather and ice caused traffic chaos (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

A huge sinkhole has opened up on the M62 motorway near Manchester after the area was battered with heavy rain.

The 20-foot-wide hole, which opened up between junctions 19 and 20 near Rochdale, brought traffic to a halt and caused huge jams just after midday on Boxing Day.

As The Mirror reports, the westbound carriageway was closed so engineers could examine the hole and figure out the best way to fix it.

A Highways Agency spokesman said the hole was caused by heavy rainfall, and appeared to span two lanes on the busy motorway.

Large parts of northern England were again hit with heavy rain and flooding today, causing the Met Office to issue red 'Danger to Life' flood warnings for parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire, urging residents to take action to protect their lives and property.

Around 10,000 homes in Rochdale were left without electricity after a flood at the local power station, and some families across Lancashire were evacuated for their own protection.

The traffic problems on the M62 caused major problems for football fans, especially for the thousands on the way to the Etihad Stadium for Boxing Day's Manchester City game against Sunderland.

The Highways Agency said the situation on the M62 was expected to return to normal by 6PM on Boxing Day, but the rain is expected to continue for the rest of the day.