THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has today (Dec 9) introduced a landmark Bill to address safety issues arising from Wales’s disused mining tips. The Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill, spearheaded by Deputy First Minister and Minister for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, proposes the creation of a dedicated Disused Tips Authority for Wales.
If enacted, the Authority would oversee the management, monitoring, and safety of disused coal and non-coal tips across the country. This would make Wales the first in the UK to establish a comprehensive framework for tip safety.
The proposed body would be a Welsh Government-sponsored organisation tasked with ensuring disused tips no longer pose risks to human welfare due to instability. It would handle the assessment, registration, monitoring, and long-term management of these sites.
A response to devastating landslides
The Bill follows a series of incidents, including the catastrophic landslide at Tylorstown in February 2020, when storms Ciara and Dennis triggered the collapse of a disused tip. Over 60,000 tonnes of debris fell into the Rhondda Fach River, leading to the creation of the Coal Tip Safety Task Force.
In its evaluation, the Law Commission concluded that existing legislation is inadequate for managing disused coal tips, recommending a comprehensive legal overhaul.
Tylorstown visit marks key moment
To mark the introduction of the Bill, Huw Irranca-Davies visited Tylorstown, the site of the 2020 landslide. Speaking from the location, he said:
“Wales has a proud mining heritage, and it is imperative that we have a structured approach to managing disused coal and non-coal tips to ensure they are safe and not a threat to our communities.
“These landslides, as well as the recent incident at Cwmtillery, illustrate the potential risks and concerns that disused tips present to the people living in their shadow.
“This Bill is about keeping communities safe and is part of a wider programme of work to improve the safety of disused coal tips. I look forward to working with MSs and stakeholders on the Bill’s proposals in the coming months.”
The scale of the challenge
Wales is home to 2,573 disused coal tips, with estimates suggesting there are more than 20,000 additional disused tips across the country. The proposed legislation is set to create a unified and proactive approach to managing these sites, safeguarding communities while preserving the country’s industrial legacy.
