Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has provided an update on its inspection of tips across South Wales after Storm Dennis and the further heavy rainfall which has followed.
Unprecedented weather conditions hit the County Borough causing flooding in local communities on Sunday, February 16 – and further heavy rainfall has followed, including Storm Jorge (February 28-29). These severe weather events have caused a significant landslip at Tylorstown Upper Tip, along with a number of minor landslips at several other mountainside locations.
Disused tips are regulated by the Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969. Some tips are owned by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council (formerly under the ownership of Mid Glamorgan County Council) while some are privately-owned and others are under the control of the Coal Authority or Natural Resources Wales.
Tips in Rhondda Cynon Taf Council are categorised on a risk-based approach from A to D, with D being the highest risk.
The Council has coordinated inspections of all Category C and D tips by highly experienced, independent consulting engineers.
With the exception of Tylorstown Upper Tip, there are no substantive ongoing issues at any of the inspected tips, though some will require maintenance – for example, to clear grills and deal with scour. Some tips may also have increased monitoring regimes moving forward.
Following a meeting with Secretary of State for Wales, the First Minister and the Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, the Coal Authority has been asked to review the situation regarding disused tips across Wales.
On Monday, March 2, senior engineers met with the Coal Authority to review information held by the Council on disused tips in Rhondda Cynon Taf – together with our risk categorisation process and inspection regimes.
They now intend to use the RCT risk categorisation process (A-D) as the basis of risk categorisation for all tips across the south Wales coalfields. Positive comments were also offered regarding the knowledge, dedication and professionalism of the teams managing these tips.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Highways, said: “Storm Dennis, along with further weather events which followed, have brought unprecedented weather and a devastating impact to properties and infrastructure across the County Borough. The Council has been working around the clock to help those affected, and to the ongoing clean-up operation that is required in a number of our local communities.
“One of the many consequences of the severe weather was several landslips at a number of locations. The Council has completed independent inspections of all category C and D tips, which have been undertaken by specialist geotechnical engineers.”
