Rain blamed for 'unpredicted' Mansfield quarry collapse

Bosses from Mansfield District Council visited the site of Mansfield's collapsed quarry today, to meet experts who are making the area safe for families to return home.
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Geographical consultants are still on site at the Berry Hill Quarry as the investigation into the quarry collapse continues.

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Furious residents demand answers after Mansfield Quarry collapse

Nineteen properties are still evacuated following the collapse, with 60 residents from Bank End Close living in private hotels and accommodation and being supported by the council.

The quarry collapseThe quarry collapse
The quarry collapse
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Hayley Barsby, the chief executive of Mansfield District Council, said the collapse wasn't predicted by specialists, and planning permission was granted correctly for the homes.

"The original planning was put in for these houses in 1999, and part of that was conditions to be put in place for surveys into the suitability of the site," she said.

Hayley BarsbyHayley Barsby
Hayley Barsby

"The experts were recommending that a two-to-three metre barrier was put in place and that was a buffer-zone at the end of each garden, to allow for the predicted small slippage and falls from the cliff face - that would be contained in the buffer.

"We have to take advice from our specialists. They are on-site today and they have been ever since the slip, and they had been advising us before that when the previous issues had been raised [by the residents].

"This wasn't predicted by these specialists

Paul McMillanPaul McMillan
Paul McMillan
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"We will try to get them back into their homes as quickly as possible, but it has to be as safely as possible.

"We have supported them in terms of where best to accommodate them, and a large number of them are staying in private hotels and accommodation, which the authority is paying for."

Ms Barsby added that the quarry collapse was down to the month's worth of rain fell that fell in 24 hours in the East Midlands last Thursday.

"This event has been recognised with central government as being a situation like the flooding, as a climatic event that took place. It is evident that the government has recognised this as a weather-related issue," she added.

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"The specialists will continue to advise us on what is best safe. All of the considerations in terms of planning and conditions, the environmental reports that were submitted at the time, suggested that, whilst there would be small spillage, that it would be cobble-sized and contained within the buffer zone.

"Those areas were advised by specialists, planning was granted, but we have to consider that this is the result of adverse weather."

Making the area safe

Fairhurst's team have been setting up a temporary track along the back of the properties affected, with the aim to place concrete barriers on the quarry face to prevent a future collapse.

Paul McMillan, lead consultant at the group, said the collapse was down to the combination of saturated ground and heavy rainfall, which weakened the strength of the rock.

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He said: "The failure mechanism here is that it was triggered by the extreme rainfall that occurred last week, coupled with the fact that the ground was completely saturated.

"Having had the wettest October on record for this part of the world, you've got a combination of factors that have triggered the failure.

"You've got saturated ground, and the water then seeps down through the ground and into the top of the rock, and eventually the strength of the rock can't withstand the pressure of the soil, and it lets go."

Mr McMillan added that previous investigations into the site had not considered the "large-scale failure" that happened at the site last week.

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"There have been numerous reports on this site over the years, going right back to the original planning consent and the reports that were carried out for that.

"They have been updated over the years, none of the consultants have identified a large-scale failure mechanism like this, so it is entirely down to the extreme climatic event. It's nothing to do with the properties of the rock, or something you would look at and initially think it would happen.

"In terms of it happening again, we're working with the council to look at various design options to mitigate against it happening in the future.

"These options will consider large-scale failures such as what has happened, and even larger events, and it will mitigate against that. All areas are being considered around the quarry, and the permanent works will address everything.

"Nobody will be going back into their homes until it is safe to do so."