A large sink hole has appeared in the road in Grays.

Hogg Lane, which has been blocked off by police, will remain closed overnight whilst emergency crews investigate.

Firefighters report that the hole has exposed two gas pipes on either side of the road. There is a slight smell of gas in the area.

The three-metre hole appeared just before 1pm this afternoon when a lorry was driving northbound on the road, just by the Esso and Ford garages, opening up beneath the vehicle.

The vehicle is currently straddling the hole, and emergency services have established a 200 metre hazard zone.

No-one was hurt in the incident and the lorry driver was not trapped in his vehicle.

Workers from the nearby Rates Ford garage raced to the scene 50 meters from their workplace when they heard cries for help.

One worker said: “When we heard the shouting we thought there’d been an accident so were ready to do first aid. We couldn’t believe what we saw when we go there!”

The workers were quickly ushered away by emergency but not before grabbing a few pictures.

The worker added: “You can’t see the bottom of the hole.”

The garage maintains that it will be open and business as usual despite the road closure.

Roads around Grays town centre are currently heavy with traffic due to the road closure, which some speculate could be “for a number of weeks”.

It is believed a gas main pipe may have been affected as firefighters at the scene have reported smells of gas and the gas company are sending specialist gas engineers to investigate.

Three fire crews are at the scene and one urban search vehicle with specialist cutting equipment, in case the road or nearby buildings collapse and need shoring up.

No accidents are yet reported although police are at the scene and have blocked off the road.

Traffic is being diverted along Devonshire Road.

Thurrock Council staff are also on site to help the investigation.