(copy of correspondance issued to Local Authorities in October 2008)
Dear Sir or Madam
As you may be aware the Coal Authority is the public body which deals with public safety risks arising from past coal mining activities. These include mine entry and mine working collapses, gas emissions, mine water emissions and spontaneous combustion of coal. We have recently been involved with two recent tragic instances where members of the public have suffered fatal accidents in relation to the historic legacy of coal mining.
Fatality 1.
A man, (who was an experienced caver), was being lowered down an open coal mine shaft, when he collapsed through insufficient oxygen in the atmosphere in the shaft. He was apparently at a depth of around 10m below surface where the oxygen content had fallen to 5%. He was rescued by the emergency services, but died several days later in hospital.
Fatality 2.
A woman was walking across a field and fell into a coal mine shaft. It is believed that fill covering the shaft/within the shaft had recently collapsed to a depth of 15m. The woman died of her injuries.
Whilst such cases are rare, similar mining conditions do exist throughout the coalfield areas, which include parts of your jurisdiction. In both cases the Coal Authority had no knowledge or record of the condition of the shafts. It is unfortunate that given the age and extensive nature of coal mining in the UK that this is often the case. In the first instance the Authority has sought to communicate risks with organisations such as caving societies, so that their memberships can be aware of the very dangerous environments mine entries and mineworkings pose. In the second case it is extremely rare to be able to predict ground collapses associated with mine entries and shallow workings, and hence the Coal Authority can only react to remove a public safety danger when a notification of a hazard is made to it by the public and/or external bodies.
The purpose of this letter is to reinforce correspondence which, from time to time, the Coal Authority has issued to Local Authorities and other public bodies in relation to public safety issues, and I would ask you to communicate its contents to all the appropriate parties within your organisation. We will make the text of this letter available on our internet site(www.coal.gov.uk) along with other public safety information. We appreciate that this information may be relevant to a number of departments across your Authority.
I would ask that:
- If any persons within your Authority are aware of any coal mine entry which may be accessible by the public, (i.e. there is a risk of public entry), that they communicate this to us via our emergency arrangements set out below. This will enable the Coal Authority to take immediate action to prevent public access.
- If any persons in your Authority become aware of a risk to public safety arising from past coal mining, e.g. ground collapse, mine gas emission, mine water emission or ignition of coal close to surface that they contact the Coal Authority on its emergency number. (The Authority is responsible for the small number of coal tips that it owns, but has no
responsibility for the majority across the UK).
Emergency Arrangements:
- The Coal Authority operates a 24-hour/365-day emergency hazard line - 01623 646 333
This number is to be used for the reporting of potential public safety hazards associated with former coal mining.
In order to improve efficiency of communications would you please provide contact details of the person(s) nominated in your organisation to liaise with the Coal Authority in these matters. Would you also provide an e-mail address for future correspondence and updates of our service.
Should you wish to discuss any matter related to these issues then please do not hesitate to call me. Should you wish for further details relating to mine entry locations in your area then please contact Carl Banton, Head of Planning & Local Authority Liaison at the Coal Authority, or by email at carlbanton@coal.gov.uk
Yours faithfully
Philip Lawrence
Chief Executive