Essential repair works planned at former colliery tip site

Alec Doyle – Local democracy reporter

Potential ground instability around a former colliery slag heap does not pose a risk to people or property nearby according to Wrexham County Borough Council.

But concerns about future degradation at the Gresford Wilderness Tip site have led the council to set aside £816,000 for works to stabilise the area this autumn.

The authority has issued a tender notice to contractors for essential drainage and river works for the site, rated Category C high-risk by the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA).

Damage

Category C coal tips are the second highest-risk sites. They must be inspected once a year as they have the potential to impact on public safety.

The last inspection identified potential future risks and some damage that may lead to a slip into the River Alyn if not repaired.

The Welsh Government has made £34 million available to support 10 local authorities across Wales and Natural Resources Wales as they carry out essential works across 130 coal tips throughout Wales in 2025.

As a result Wrexham Council is looking for a contractor to start work to mitigate those potential risks in October.

Risks

A spokesperson for Wrexham Council said: “The council has been awarded funding to carry out works at Gresford Wilderness Tip to reduce potential risks from ground instability which were identified during the MRA inspections.

“This work primarily focuses on two areas – the main tip site where drainage improvements to manage water run-off will take place to reduce the risk of erosion and slips and an area in the north of the tip were riverside bank repairs are required to repair the scour and reduce further erosion of the bank into the colliery spoil slope.

“Inspections over the last few years have not identified areas which are currently unstable, however the nature of the tip inherently means instability could arise.

“Specific roads and properties have not been identified at risk. While it is not possible to confirm whether a bad winter would be enough to trigger an event, there are currently no signs of active movement and it should be noted that these are preventative works to reduce the risk of any movement taking place, that have been planned for some time.”