Work to repair a sink hole on a Blaenau Gwent rugby pitch is well underway this week, after a 70m deep mine shaft was uncovered on the popular playing field earlier this month. Banna Park, which is home to Nantyglo RFC, has been fenced off in recent weeks while investigations by the local council and the Coal Authority were underway to discover the cause of a sink hole that appeared near the try-line.
It was later discovered that the disturbance was part of a former mine shaft that stretched more than 70m deep, though work has now begun to fill the shaft ahead of next season. Russel Davies is the chairman of Nantyglo RFC and says the news of the repairs were a great relief to everyone in the community who will look forward to using the field again when it has been fixed.
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He said: "Obviously we were very shocked when we heard about the sink hole a few weeks back and we were also very worried about the ramifications it could have on the club and the wider community. It was a great relief to hear that the investigations had been completed and that they had begun the repairs, as the field means so much to people because it is so well used.
"They've built a road on to the Banna park near the disturbance by the try-line, and after digging out a large section at the Brynmawr end have begun to fill it in with more than 2,000 tons of spark-proof stone. When the workers from the coal board saw how deep it went at over 70m their jaws just dropped and so did ours.
"It's crazy to think that was underneath the park the whole time just gradually being washed away by the rain. We won't be playing on there for the rest of the season now as the work is being carried out, but we are hopeful to be back for the beginning of next season. We are currently playing on Brynmawr school field so we have to say a big thank you to them for having us, as well as the local council and Coal Authority for working around the clock to get this sorted."
A council spokesperson said the repair work had begun last week and arrangements had been made to fill the shaft with the appropriate materials. They said: "Following investigations the sink hole turned out to be an abandoned mine shaft some 70m in depth. The council has worked closely with the Coal Authority, who are currently on site and have made arrangements to have the shaft totally back filled with appropriate fill material. The shaft will then be capped with a reinforced concrete slab.
"It is estimated that up to 2,000 tons of fill material will be required and the works will take up to four weeks, which started on March 21, 2022. Nantyglo RFC have made alternative arrangements to play match fixtures, however, they have been able to use a section of the rugby pitch at Banna Park for training purposes only." You can keep up to date with the latest Blaenau Gwent news by subscribing to our newsletter here.
