£400,000 to address safety of county’s former coal tips

Twm Owen, Local democracy reporter

More than £400,000 is to be spent addressing the safety of former coal tips in a Welsh county.

The councillor responsible for finances admitted the Monmouthshire, famous for its rolling hills and high quality agricultural land, isn’t normally associated with mining in the way neighbouring Gwent authorities that made up the South Wales coalfield are.

But Ben Callard said there are 27 coal tips in the county, which had been identified after the Welsh Government ordered a review and registration following a landslide, at Tylorstown in the Rhondda during heavy rain from Storm Dennis in February 2020.

Cllr Callard said two are classed as the highest risk category D tips, that must be inspected at least twice a year, and 10 are category C that are also considered to have the potential to impact public safety but only require an annual inspection.

“Monmouthshire is not often associated with coal tips but does have a number in areas associated with our industrial heritage,” said the Labour councillor for Llanfoist and Govilon.

Inspections are carried out by the Mining Remediation Authority, formerly known as the Coal Authority, and Cllr Callard said: “It will liaise with landowners should any immediate work be required to tips under their ownership.

“Monmouthshire County Council does not own any tips but does own assets related to tips such as a large retaining wall and a culver in the Gelli Felen area which lies adjacent to and under a tip in the Clydach area.”

The council has been awarded £16,000, from the Welsh Government, in the current financial year which Cllr Callard said would be used to undertake a survey on a 60 metre long council owned culvert which “partially lies below that tip”.

He said the survey is required to inform maintenance work to take place in the 2026/27 financial year and the funding would also be used to support staffing costs and attendance at a regional working group and other training.

The council cabinet member also said it had been successful in securing a further £385,000, over the next three years, from the government’s coal tip safety grant to undertake essential maintenance work on the retaining wall and culvert.

Cllr Callard was responding, at the cabinet’s February meeting, to a question from Conservative opposition group leader Richard John.

The Mitchell Troy and Trellech councillor had asked how the council would spend the £16,000 and had said “clearly you can’t remediate any tips for £16,000?”. He thanked Cllr Callard for his response.