CONCERNS have been raised about the safety of coal tips in Wrexham following recent landslides across the country. 

Fears about coal tip safety in the Wrexham area have spurred Plaid Cymru’s Llyr Gruffydd to seek assurances from the Welsh Government.

Mr Gruffydd, who represents North Wales in the Senedd, said recent coal tip slippages in Cwm Tillery, Blaenau Gwent had reminded everyone that work to address coal tip safety across Wales must be accelerated.

The legacy of the coal industry in the North-east of Wales has resulted in hundreds of coal tips. Of these, there are four designated as Category C and therefore requiring annual inspections because it has  “the potential to impact public safety”.

These are the tips for the former collieries at Llay Main, Llay Hall, Gresford and Bersham.

The cost of addressing coal tip safety across Wales is estimated at £600m over 10 to 15 years, yet the Welsh Government has only so far secured £25m from the Labour UK government for the work.

Mr Gruffydd said: “The recent floods and bad weather has focussed attention quite rightly on the need to urgently make tips across Wales safe.

"That focus has so far been in the Valleys but we need to remember that there are four Category C tips in the Wrexham area. These have the potential to impact on public safety so it’s imperative that they are inspected and checked for their safety. The Cwm Tillery tip was a Category D tip and had recently been inspected so we cannot afford to be complacent.

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“But we also need to change gear on delivering a long-term plan to deal with the remaining tips. The Labour Government in London has only provided £25m towards the estimated £600m cost of making tips in Wales safe. That’s frankly pathetic and means many communities will have to live in the shadow of these tips for years to come.

“The First Minister’s response to the news was equally pathetic – saying ‘There will be limits of being able to absorb additional money, because there will be limits in terms of expertise [and] equipment. If they gave us the money, it would be very difficult to use it all up because of the lack of expertise that we need to build up.’

"I’m afraid this shows a deeply worrying lack of urgency by a First Minister who doesn’t understand the concerns many communities have. I’m seeking assurances that the coal tips in the North are not ignored, and that the necessary remediation work happens with the utmost urgency.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We have allocated more than £1.1m in coal tip safety grant awards to Wrexham County Council since 2022 and all Category C and B tips in north Wales have been inspected under our national programme of tip inspections.

“The £25m allocated by the UK Government represents a step-change in the level of investment towards ensuring our coal tip communities are safe.”