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Residents living near a coal tip in Cwmtillery, Blaenau Gwent, have expressed their desire to move if there remains a risk of another landslide occurring. The landslide, which was caused by heavy rainfall during Storm Bert in November, forced some of the village’s inhabitants to evacuate. Dianne Morgan, who lives directly under the tip, would prefer to see the council purchase her home compulsorily, while others have also expressed a desire to move. People in the community are afraid and do not feel safe living there.
Ms Morgan is seeking assurances from the council that work to improve safety standards for the coal tip will prevent future slips from happening. She says that residents would prefer the tip be removed. Local council has started to carry out remedial work following the most recent landslide. Despite being aware of the tip’s existence, locals were never told that it posed a threat to public safety.
In total, 2,573 unused coal tips have been identified in Wales, with 360 being classified as posing a risk to public safety. Safety concerns first came to light in 2020 after the landslide above the village of Tylorstown in Rhondda Cynon Taf during Storm Dennis. Currently, council authorities are responsible for publically owned coal tips. The Mines Remediation Authority (formerly found as the UK Coal Authority) is responsible for some of the tips that exist.
The Welsh government is introducing new legislation to address the safety concerns surrounding hundreds of coal tips across Wales. If passed, the bill will establish the Disused Tips Authority for Wales, which will be responsible for the “assessment, registration, monitoring and management” of coal tips. The new authority will be able to demand repairs to privately owned coal tips, with landowners facing unlimited fines if they do not comply. Grant funding and appeals will be available to those who cannot afford to pay for repair work.
The Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, stated during a recent visit to Tylorstown to unveil the bill that “this bill is about keeping communities safe and is part of a wider programme of work to improve the safety of disused coal tips.” Plaid Cymru believes that financial help from the UK government is essential to completely rectify the problem
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