Tag: void

April 5th – At Chasewater, a sinkhole has opened up in the car park, yards from the M6 Toll. Possibly an old shallow bell pit, it could just the same be an old drain or other cavity.

Site notices say experts from the Coal Authority are looking into it. As they do.

Never, ever trust the ground beneath your feet.

February 1st – Just on the rough side of Brownhills Common, a handful of yards from Coppice Lane, there’s a deep void in the land through the trees It may be the remnant of early surface mining, or the later evidence of hamfisted mineral exploration (the coal here was evident on the surface, so it was said; the grey clay also highly prized by potters), but it’s been here for decades; the spoil is piled up around it in mounds with fairly mature trees growing from them, which must date from around 1977, as the year previously, the whole of this side of the common had been flatted by a grassfire.

Every landscape tells a story This one tells of an industrial, blighted past, which we now sort of revere.

Brownhills holds some of it’s oldest secrets closest, but in plain sight.

January 23rd – A warning to fellow cyclists and walkers on the canal near Clayhanger Bridge in Brownhills. Some kind of work has been undertaken on the sluice set into the towpath, and the sheet steel covers now are proud with a void around the edges.

It’s a real trip hazard, and I can’t imagine what the people who left it like this were thinking.

Take care.

June 13th – Credit where it’s due, several people (including myself, and I know @TheStymaster) complained about the water damaged towpath at Anchor Bridge last week.

Following heavy rains, the hardcore always washes out from either side of this concrete block, leaving a 6 inch void either side that can easily cause a pedestrian or cyclist to fall or injure themselves. It’s a recurring problem, and the Canal & River Trust appear to have sent someone out during the week to fix the damage.

It’s not a permanent fix – the loose material has just been shovelled back in, and first heavy rain, it’ll wash out again – but at least it’s safe for now. This needs a much better solution in the long term (like compacting properly, and maybe mixing in a little cement), but well done for filling the hole.