What caused the flood?

The cause of the incident was a blockage in historical mine workings which led to a build-up of water. It is likely that this happened over some time and when the pressure was sufficient it formed or forced a connection in a nearby mineshaft that allowed it to reach a much higher level and then find a weak spot to blow out.

The water has now found a new path and we will need to build a new water management system that has capacity for all the mine water coming down from the mine workings above Skewen.

We will now undertake two main packages of work. We will remediate the collapsed shaft by installing new support, drainage pipes and undertake engineering works to stabilise the ground and cap it to modern standards before resurfacing the road.

We will also install a new water management scheme for the mine water. The new system will use modern telemetry technology that will alert us to any changes in flow so that staff can attend promptly and it will be regularly inspected and maintained.

In the meantime, a temporary water diversion will remain in place and will be monitored carefully before, during and after periods of wet weather with extra action taken as needed to manage the flow.