Hidden 120m mine shaft collapses in couple's back garden in North Lanarkshire

A hidden 120 metre mine shaft collapsed in an elderly couple’s back garden in North Lanarkshire.

The Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) said it had been called out to a home in a former coal town after a family member noticed a “depression” in the garden.

A connection was drawn after they found that they had received a letter from the former Coal Authority concerning a previous mine entry inspection in the area.

An investigation discovered that the collapse of an underground, disused coal mine shaft caused the depression.

It was found that there was a 20-metre void under the ground and a tunnel nearly 120 metres deep.

The work was carried out over a three month period. Supplied

The MRA announced on Monday that work over a three-month period, using 1,700kg of resin, was completed to safely fill the mine.

The substance was injected into the tunnel through several carefully drilled boreholes.

Megan Phillips, project manager for the Mining Remediation Authority, said the project went “above and beyond” to ensure the safety of the garden.

She said: “This was a challenging but rewarding project for a number of reasons. Most importantly, we were able to make the garden of the property safe for the couple living there and they have been extremely happy with the work we have done.

The garden was returned to the couple in 'good condition'. — The garden was returned to the couple in ‘good condition’. Supplied

“This is a family home that the couple have lived in for more than 40 years, so we also wanted to work with them to return their garden in good condition.

“We re-laid the garden and rebuilt the patio using existing materials. Through close communication with the family and their neighbours to explain the scope of the work we needed to carry out, our teams and partners involved in the project really went above and beyond to make the garden safe.”

The MRA said it holds records on 176,000 historical mine entries in Britain and carries out “proactive inspections of known coal mine shafts and adits (or tunnels) as part of a risk-assessed rolling programme to keep people safe and provide peace of mind”.

North Lanarkshire was home to a number of coal mining towns in the early 19th century, which at the time was the main source of employment.

Coal mine hazards can be reported at any time by calling 0800 288 4242.