Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
As set out in a Written Statement in May this year, the Welsh Government will continue to publish updates to the National Disused Coal Tips Dataset (“the National Dataset”) twice a year following the conclusion of the annual, and bi-annual, programme of inspections of all category C and D disused coal tips respectively.
Since its first publication in November 2023, it has been necessary to update the National Dataset to reflect changes that have been identified through the ongoing comprehensive programme of inspections undertaken on behalf of the Welsh Government by the Mining Remediation Authority.
The National Dataset is used to co-ordinate monitoring and maintenance activities between the Welsh Government, local authorities, Natural Resources Wales, the Mining Remediation Authority, and our other delivery partners.
I can announce that a fourth update to the National Dataset will be published on 2 October 2025 to reflect changes identified on disused coal tips since the spring. It is important that regular updates to the status of disused coal tips in Wales, as well as supporting information, is made available to the public. This will provide assurances that our records are accurate and up to date, highlight where there may be changes of note at a tip location, and that the safety driven programme of work is ongoing.
This update will contain a total of 35 changes. It reflects the recording of a number of newly identified tip landforms, and changes resulting from the programme of category A tip inspections which commenced in the spring of this year. This is the first time that most category A tips will have been inspected by the Mining Remediation Authority on behalf of the Welsh Government. As such, a higher than usual number of changes have been recorded. On-site inspections can reveal new information that could mean a disused coal tips category rating or boundary is revised or is not actually comprised of coal spoil.
Changes to the National Dataset also result from information recorded outside of routine inspections, for example, when a local authority reports a change to a tip, or if an observation is made on a nearby tip whilst undertaking an inspection. All suggested changes are verified by the Mining Remediation Authority before being included in the National Dataset to ensure the information is robust, accurate and fit for purpose.
A summary of the disused coal tips can be found in a table in Annex 1 of this statement alongside the breakdown of the number of tips and their category rating.
The data will continue to be presented using the online map on the Welsh Government website and via the Data Map Wales platform. The Welsh Government will also provide summary information of changes on its website. A map booklet that provides more information on the changes to the update will be available to download from this website.
This of course follows the passing of landmark legislation to address the safety issues caused by Wales’s mining past which received Royal Assent last month. The Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act was officially sealed by the First Minister at a ceremony in Blaenavon’s Big Pit. This modernised legislation will ensure the long-term effective management of disused tips and reduce the threat to public safety.
The new legislation will establish a new public body – the Disused Tips Authority for Wales - that has functions in relation to the assessment, registration, monitoring and management of disused tips. The new Authority will be established in April 2027.
In the interim, the Welsh Government’s coal tip safety programme of work carries on and continues to work closely with public partners to deliver an effective inspection and maintenance regime across Wales.
Any tips that receive a category C or D rating will move into the routine programme of inspections.
Any local authorities who feel that their work programme has changed as a result of the inspection programme, should contact the Welsh Government about additional funding that might be available via the Coal Tip Safety grant.