Colliery tips in South Wales to be inspected over next 5 years
The Coal Authority has been awarded a 5 year contract by Natural Resources Wales to undertake tip and quarry inspections in South Wales.
The work involves 315 inspections at 291 sites, including disused colliery tips, quarries and civil engineering structures.
Darren Bryant, Public Safety and Subsidence Principal Project Manager at the Coal Authority, said:
Regular inspection and monitoring of disused colliery tips and other historical mining features is important to monitor land stability, ensure public safety and for early identification of any environmental issues.
The Coal Authority has been providing tip and quarry inspection services for Natural Resources Wales since 2016, and in September 2018 we were successful in winning a 5 year contract to continue to provide these services.
As the government body responsible for managing the legacies associated with the historical coal mining industry of Britain, the Coal Authority has a vast amount of experience in the inspection, restoration and overall management of disused colliery spoil heaps and former mining structures.
We undertake a comprehensive inspection programme of our own portfolio that includes 40 disused colliery tips and approximately 800 other mining features. We do this by conducting on site assessments, utilising remote monitoring and telemetry equipment and by combining these with various ground movement and water level monitoring techniques to ensure our sites are managed safely.
Peter Cloke, South Wales Deputy Forest District Manager for Natural Resources Wales, said: “South Wales is unique in the fact we have such large numbers of people living next to our forests and using them for daily recreation, but due to our coal and steel industrial past we have many legacy issues to manage to ensure we keep them safe.
“We look forward to working with the Coal Authority on this contract and gaining from their extensive experience of managing historic industrial liabilities.”
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