INSPECTORS have found no major issues at coal tips in the Gwent region, following safety concerns in the wake of recent storms.
Torrential rain caused several landslides, including at a coal tip site in Tylorstown, Rhondda Cynon Taff, when Storm Dennis hit South East Wales in mid-February.
In the wake of the Tylorstown landslide, Wales' first minister Mark Drakeford and Welsh secretary Simon Hart met with the Coal Authority and environmental agency Natural Resources Wales to ensure coal tips throughout the region were being inspected and monitored.
There are more than 1,200 disused coal tips across the former mining areas in south Wales.
MORE NEWS:
- Memorial honours more than 300 miners killed in explosions at two Gwent pits
- Police horse patrol of Pill begins and Class A drug located already
- Monmouth church wrecked by Storm Dennis a day after £130,000 repairs
Following that meeting, the Coal Authority and county councils in Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, and Monmouthshire all told the South Wales Argus that no major problems had been identified at the coal tips they were monitoring.
But several coal tips remain in the highest-risk category – one in Caerphilly, and three in Blaenau Gwent.
A further 12 coal tips in Caerphilly are considered high risk, a spokesman for Caerphilly County Borough Council added.
"We are undertaking regular inspections on an ongoing basis of the 13 high/very high risk tips," he said. "No major problems [have been] identified, but we continue to monitor."
Blaenau Gwent council and the Coal Authority also said they would continue to inspect all their coal tips in the area, while a spokeswoman for Monmouthshire council said the local authority would not expect any of its coal tips to be rated as being at severe risk.
Torfaen council did not respond to requests for comment.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here