Dereliction: Colliery Spoil Heaps and Their Rehabilitation

Abstract
Some of the worst types of derelict land in the United Kingdom are associated with disused collieries, of which spoil heaps are the most conspicuous. Spoil heaps consist of coarse colliery discard, in other words run-of-mine waste extracted during coal mining operations. This material is frequently in the cobble, gravel, sand size range. The argillaceous content of the spoil quickly degrades when placed in a heap but once buried little further reduction in size occurs. Restoration of a spoil heap involves regrading and landscaping. One of the problems which may have to be faced during the earthworks operation is that of burning spoil due to spontaneous combustion; another could be the presence of noxious gases in concentrations which could affect the operatives. In such instances suitable measures have to be taken to avoid injury to the person or damage of equipment. Once landscaped, a system of drains are installed over a spoil heap to help convey water from the surface. It then is limed if the spoil is acidic due, for example, to the breakdown of pyrite within it. Generally it will have to be covered with top soil, to which fertilizer is applied, before seeding and planting begin.

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