Over the last few months, the council have been investigating the issue and it is now believed that a leaking manhole is the cause of the problem.

The large manhole, which is owned by Scottish Water, has been leaking badly into the surrounding ground making it unstable.

The council have now appointed a specialist ground investigation contractor who has worked on similar subsidence problems elsewhere in the country and a proposal for further measures to stabilise the ground is being discussed.

Councillor Eddie Devine, convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Environment Policy Board, said: “We have been working hard to find the cause of this subsidence for the last few months so I’m pleased to report that things are moving forward.

“Scottish Water have repaired the broken manhole and we are working with a specialist to draw up plans to make the ground surrounding it more stable.

“In the meantime we will be closely monitoring the situation and keeping the community up to date.”

The temporary traffic control will remain in place for the time being until further measures are carried out.