Last updated 15:56, Wednesday, 09 April 2008

NO-ONE likes to think they could be sitting on top of a mineshaft. In Egremont it is happening with a frightening regularity.

Residents at Howbank Road at Smithfield, one of the town’s biggest and oldest estates, received the latest scare when a big hole suddenly appeared.

They are about to be re-housed, but the shock factor and disturbance to them cannot be underestimated.

The Home housing association is credited with taking urgent action to seal off and cap the big hole, at some cost to themselves. but whether it’s one million pounds or two is not the issue.

Lessons were no doubt learned from the discovery (three years) ago of a mineshaft on a different part of the estate at Greenmoor Road, where the affected residents were rehoused and by next spring will be moving back into brand new homes on exactly the same site – sealed and safe.

This is not necessarily the end of the matter – we understand that much of Egremont is riddled with old shafts from the heritage of old iron ore mining. Reassuringly we are also told that most of these have been identified and appropriate action is being taken by landowners to prevent subsidence.

Much is also being done at present to breathe new life into Egremont; it is important that the discovery of these mineshafts does not hamper the town’s regeneration.

The town has suffered since the building of the by-pass, which has speeded up the journey to Sellafield but has also taken passing trade from the town – and locals still complain and wonder why the pavements in the main street are so wide!

But one bit of good news is that while there is undermining around the Wyndham area it will not affect the building of the new £30million Academy School. While the existing school’s tennis courts were fenced off a couple of years ago the playing field site for the Academy is declared safe.

Much of Egremont’s main street is apparently standing on mine pillars and under water – but that’s the way it will apparently stay because as long as the water remains there’s no danger of collapse.