Wrexham coal tip erosion fears prompts £816k repairs

Concerns about erosion at a former colliery slag heap have led to £816,000 being set aside for repair works.

Potential ground instability around Gresford Wilderness Tip in Wrexham county does not pose a risk to people or property nearby, according to the council.

But the authority has issued a tender notice to contractors for essential drainage and river works for the site, rated high-risk, to be completed this autumn.

“The nature of the tip inherently means instability could arise,” Wrexham council said.

Category C coal tips, rated by the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA), are the second highest-risk sites.

They must be inspected once a year as they have the potential to impact on public safety.

The last inspection identified potential future risks and some damage that may lead to a slip into the River Alyn if not repaired.

The Welsh government has made £34m available to support 10 local authorities across Wales and Natural Resources Wales as they carry out essential works across 130 coal tips throughout Wales in 2025.

As a result, Wrexham council is looking for a contractor to start work to mitigate those potential risks in October.

It said the works would focus on two areas – the main tip site, “where drainage improvements to manage water run-off will take place to reduce the risk of erosion and slips” and an area in the north of the tip, “where riverside bank repairs are required to repair the scour and reduce further erosion of the bank into the colliery spoil slope”.

“While it is not possible to confirm whether a bad winter would be enough to trigger an event, there are currently no signs of active movement and it should be noted that these are preventative works to reduce the risk of any movement taking place, that have been planned for some time,” it said.