The Coal Authority works to protect the public and the environment in coal mining areas. We manage the effects of past coal mining in order to promote public safety and safeguard the landscape – now and for future generations.
Seven million properties lie within Britain’s coalfields and we have records of over 170,000 coal mine shafts. We are carrying out an inspection programme of these mine shafts as part of our public safety strategy.
This year, we will inspect over 30,000 mine shafts in built-up areas. We expect more than 99% of the mine shafts we visit to need no action, but if a mine shaft is open or there is coal mining subsidence, we will act quickly to ensure that you and the community are safe.
The inspection programme will allow us to keep our records up to date and to identify whether we need to carry out any work. Our inspections will last about 20 minutes and we will look around the outside of any buildings for evidence of the mine shaft and to assess its condition. Afterwards, we will send you a copy of our report.
- If you have received a letter from us and would like to book an appointment with one of our inspectors, please call: 0845 762 6848 between 9:00am and 5:00pm on weekdays
- Please browse the useful information links and other pages in this section for more information on our mine entry inspection programme.
Useful Information