Former coal mine made safe
The Mining Remediation Authority has completed essential safety work at the former Morton Colliery site in Derbyshire.
Safety works being undertaken at the former Morton Colliery site
The works involved capping a disused mine shaft, clearing the old heapstead building around the shaft and demolishing a derelict electrical substation to help protect the public and ensure long-term safety for the local community.
Although the 275m deep mine shaft, also known as the Morton Upcast shaft, was secure before the works, it had never been fully treated to modern standards, says the Authority.
The heapstead building and substation were in a secure area of the former colliery site, but had started to deteriorate and be occasionally vandalised and had become a safety concern.
To provide a permanent, modern solution, the shaft was capped with a reinforced concrete slab – around 0.8m thick and placed at a depth of 6.5m below ground level. The heapstead building and substation were demolished and all the materials removed from the site.
James Walker, project manager for the public safety and subsidence team says, 'With the works complete, plans for the future of the site, such as the development of a memorial garden can now also be considered so that the rich mining history of this area is acknowledged appropriately.'
