An electrical fault caused a manhole to explode on a busy Chester street.
Liverpool Road, one of the main approach routes to the city, was closed in both directions following the incident, at about 10am.
There are heavy traffic delays in the area but Cheshire police hope the road will reopen at 3pm, with temporary lights in place.
Residents in the nearby area are being advised to stay indoors while engineers from Scottish Power work in fixing the problem, which led to a power outage.
A spokesman from Cheshire Fire said: "Firefighters from Chester are currently in attendance at the scene of an electrical fault which has caused a manhole to explode on Liverpool Road, Chester.
"Liverpool Road is currently closed in both directions, from Morrison's roundabout to Brook Lane, while engineers from Scottish Power deal with the fault.
"Residents in the nearby area are currently being advised to stay indoors at the current time."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article