Safety fears on Greater Manchester street after 'ground collapses'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Fears of ground collapses caused by a historical coal mine shaft have sparked action to protect people living on a Greater Manchester street.

Major safety work has been carried out by the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) after several ground collapses were detected near Arley Lane in Wigan.

The authority said records of mining in the area go as far back as 1840. The MRA said a minor collapse near a recorded mine shaft was first reported in December 2018, resulting in work carried out to excavate the shaft before filling it with stone in January 2019.

Further monitoring of the site revealed more work was needed following "more ground movement in April 2019". READ MORE: 'All driver had to do was say sorry to me - now he's got to face the consequences for his actions' This, they said, resulted in the area appearing stable until July 2021, when there was a further minor collapse. "Ground investigations proved there was a 3.5 metre diameter shaft, which had been plugged with concrete between 4.5 metres and 6 metres below ground level by the National Coal Board in the 1970s," The MRA said in a press release. "The drilling also showed that solid rock – known as rockhead – was around 11 metres below ground level, allowing clays and looser material to migrate into the shaft beneath the plug, so a resin grout injection was used to try to stabilise the ground, but further loss of material was reported in May 2023, which meant the new cap was needed." The most recent work saw a more permanent solution being implemented, the authority said.