Disused colliery tips owned and inspected by the Coal Authority
The Coal Authority owns and manages 40 disused colliery tip sites across the United Kingdom.
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There are more than 5,000 colliery tips in the UK and many of these sites are now in public or private ownership.
The Coal Authority has responsibility for less than 1% of the total number of these former colliery tips.
The Coal Authority’s definition of a tip is taken from the Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969, the Mines Regulations 2014 and the Quarries Regulations 1999.
Tip means an accumulation or deposit of any refuse from a mine (whether in a solid or liquid state or in solution or suspension) other than an accumulation or deposit situated underground and includes, but is not limited to:
- overburden dumps, backfill, spoil heaps, stock piles and lagoons
- any wall or other structure that retains or confines a tip
The specification and supervision of maintenance and remedial works on our disused tip sites, including regular inspections, is carried out by Coal Authority staff, supported by specialist consultants when required.
The principal statute relating to stability and safety of colliery tips in the UK is the Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969 as amended by the Mines Regulations 2014.
Part 1 of the act covers active and closed tips associated with operational mines or quarries and part 2 covers disused tips associated with a mine or quarry that has been abandoned.
The act is supported by the Mines and Quarries (Tips) Regulations 1971, which sets out detailed requirements for active and closed tips to ensure they are built and maintained to be secure against failure.
The regulations include requirements for systematic and regular inspection and reporting - but neither the act nor the regulations impose a statutory requirement for inspection of disused tips, which are also known as abandoned tips.
The Coal Authority has determined that tips which they own, although classified as disused tips, shall be inspected and managed to a standard not less than that required under legislation for closed tips by regulations 17 (1) and (2) and regulation 18 of the Mines and Quarries (Tips) Regulations 1971.
A significant proportion of the Coal Authority’s tips are subject to an even more rigorous management regime.
Some other sites that are not classed as disused tips are included in the Coal Authority’s tip management programme.
These are sites where it is essential to have regular inspection by suitably qualified engineers. Examples include significant containment embankments at mine water treatment schemes and culverts where there is no other property interest.
The Coal Authority also provides inspection and management services of disused tips for other organisations.
The Coal Authority operates a 24 hour emergency response service in relation to historical coal mining related safety issues.
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Coal Authority
200 Lichfield Lane
Mansfield
Nottinghamshire
NG18 4RG
Telephone (Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) 0800 288 4242
24-hour number for reporting public safety hazards and incidents associated with coal mining.
Last updated 26 February 2024 + show all updates
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Added definition of a tip from the Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969, the Mines Regulations 2014 and the Quarries Regulations 1999.
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First published.