Nice for you guys, just a bit tough for the owners!
Pretty horrible for the owners, I should say.
But it seems to be an ever-present risk in old mining areas.
We had to get a load of test holes drilled and put the building n a solid concrete raft when we had a new church built in Bradford because of the risk of old mine workings in the area.
Would this be a suitable test case for access under the Countryside Right of Way Act?
However, the air might be bad part way down and then you'd pass out and not be able to get back up again.
Even so, the horizontal levels at the bottom are probably flooded, which means you'd need to go down equipped with diving gear for use at the bottom of the rope - and diving gear should sort out any bad air problem.
But, the cone of earth at the top is probably pretty loose and might send down a whole load of rubbish on top of you, so you'd need to be in a capsule - to enable you to get out again like the Chilean miners . . .
Better still, send down a submersible drone helicopter instead, like the car in The Spy Who Loved Me!
Might be worth suggesting this hole to the two with the Welsh legal case . . .
Some people have specialist equipment to see down there.
"The shaft at Scorrier was discovered when surveyors were checking the site for the sale of the house."
So the surveyors made it fall in?
Apparently the plan is to "fill it with concrete". Good luck with that!
It says they are going to "re-cap" it, Tony. That should take a bit less concrete than filling the whole hole.
I wonder how the surveyors found the shaft?
"These flagstones sound a bit hollow underneath" - (banging with walking stick) - "whoops!"
The drillers were drilling the site when it opened. They were under the direction of someone making a survey based upon the results of drilling, so yes. I gather there were brown trousers all around.
Yes Roger, I'm sure that's what the report I read meant to say! Otherwise it'd require rather a lot.
I would want it capped with access and a glass panel, lights down the shaft, ladders and solars, etc Wonder if there is any scope for more discoverys?
have to be a proper job with concrete from where the ground is good, and ensures you always know the state of the shaft - better than capping it or fillinf it and wondering if the fill is settling!