David Chadwick MP presses Neath Port Talbot Council on East Pit opencast mine safety in Parliament

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick has raised serious concerns about the safety of the East Pit former opencast mine in Neath Port Talbot during a session of the Welsh Affairs Committee in Parliament. 

Questioning Nicola Pearce, Director of Environment and Regeneration at Neath Port Talbot Council, David Chadwick MP highlighted community fears over the site, which sits on an active geological fault line above several villages, including Cwmllynfell, Tairgwaith, and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen.

He pressed the Council on what safety assessments and monitoring are in place to protect residents from the risk of land movement, wall failure, or flooding. 

David Chadwick MP has previously written to Neath Port Talbot Council, the Welsh Government and the UK Government, and has met with the Mining Remediation Authority, after constituents raised serious concerns about safety at East Pit, including the alleged use of explosives. He remains determined to hold those responsible to account and to ensure that every possible measure is taken to protect local communities. 

David Chadwick MP also challenged the Council’s claim that the site has been fully restored. A £115 million restoration scheme, required when mining ended in 2012, was never delivered after ownership was transferred to a shell company with no means to complete it. A cheaper £22 million scheme was later agreed, leaving a large, flooded void. A 2022 site visit recorded industrial debris, visible coal faces, and fencing with multiple layers of barbed wire still in place. 

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick said: 

“Local communities have lived with uncertainty and potential risk for too long. The full restoration of East Pit was promised but never delivered, and local people are left living beneath a site that still raises serious safety concerns. 

“The Council must be fully transparent about the risks and the ongoing safety monitoring in place. I will continue to press for answers and for accountability.

“I’d also like to welcome additional funding for coal tip safety in the spending review yesterday and any funding is welcome to tackle this serious issue.

“I do remain concerned, however, that the money falls significantly short of the £500 - £600 million the Welsh Government has stated it needs to make all sites safe.

“I will be continuing to press the UK Government to do all that it can to make East Pit and all former mining sites safe for our communities.”

ENDS