(Title Image: ITV Wales)
Days after the 54th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP, warned that the total cost of securing the estimated 1,000 coal tips in Wales would be at least £500million over ten years.
A major landslide at Tylorstown in the Rhondda Fach valley during storms earlier in 2020 resulted in coal tip safety being given a higher priority. The British Geological Survey has warned that that climate change and geological shifts could result in future landslides unless coal tips are made secure.
A review has already been launched into the stability of coal tips, while the Welsh Government supports a coal tip register.
Responsibility for securing coal tips generally lies at a UK level as it’s a function of the Coal Authority – an executive body of the UK Government. However, some coal tips may be owned and managed by local authorities.
The Welsh Government said: “While we welcome recent announcements by the UK Government, along with their recognition that the longer-term costs will be significant, no further funds have been forthcoming and we continue to press them for the full amount of funding needed, as promised by the Prime Minister”.
