Roads Minister Robert Goodwill has visited the 15ft-deep sinkhole on the M2 and pledged to get remedial works done to UK road as quickly as possible. The hole is just one of the results of the string of severe weather which has been battering the country and opened up between the carriageways of the M2 between junction five and six on Tuesday.

Works have already started on repairing the damage, but delays are still expected and other routes should be considered including the M20 towards Dover. Two lanes are open London-bound, giving full capacity, and one lane coastbound.

Goodwill said: “Road users are understandably frustrated at the time it has taken to sort out this problem. “However it is important that the Highways Agency understands the cause of the problem before carrying out remedial action to avoid any repetition that could put motorists at risk. My priority is making sure that motorists are safe. “We are working hard to ensure that problems like this hole are fixed quickly and efficiently but these remain testing times for the road network.”

An extra £30 million in funding for road maintenance for councils affected by bad weather has been provided in a package of emergency measures.

The Highways Agency says it has dealt with more than 8,000 incidents in the last week.