Bad news, care of the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/8570412.stm 

A quarry at Blaenau Ffestiniog, in north Wales, is being closed at the end of April because it is too dangerous.

Welsh Slate said it regretted the move but there had been subsidence into old mine chambers at Ffestiniog (Oakeley) Quarry in the past month.

The company added safety experts had concluded there was an unacceptable level of risk to site personnel.

Welsh Slate Ltd employs 55 people at Ffestiniog. Around half will be offered a move to Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda.

"We deeply regret the mothballing of Ffestiniog Quarry," said Welsh Slate managing director Alan Smith.

Mr Smith said he wanted to thank the employees at Ffestiniog for their hard work in the past three weeks.

"However, the issues involved are beyond the control of the employees or the company," he added.

In a statement, the company said activities at the quarry had been suspended when subsidence was discovered.

"Following investigations with independent safety experts it was concluded there was an unacceptable level of risk to site personnel.

"We have therefore decided to mothball activities in the quarry, and roofing production will cease at the end of April 2010," it said.

The Health and Safety Executive have also been made aware of the situation.

The company added that around half the 55 employees at the quarry would be offered jobs at Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda where production levels would be increased.

No other operations or orders would be affected, it said.

Customers have the option of buying slate from the company's other quarries, Cwt-y-Bugail, Pen yr Orsedd and Penrhyn.

Options for re-commencing activities in Ffestiniog Quarry will be reviewed in the near future, the company added.

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From what I understand the problem area cannot be drilled and blasted, they have been waiting for weeks in the hope that it will drop itself but as yet it has failed to do so.
If and when it drops the re-starting production is feasable.

Perhaps worth bearing in mind for anybody thinking of a sneaky visit, a large portion of the pit is expected to collapse imminently and in a big way....

I hope that the level of overburden will be too high to do a surface strip as at Manod et al.

Robin

Given the size of the pit etc. etc. and the extent of the workings, I am not at all surprised that they have hit a problem of this nature. Looking at the way thay have been going at it , especially at the western end, I am rather surpised thet have not dropped an excavator into a chamber before this.

Any indication exactly which part of the quarry is the problem ?

Cheers

Grahami

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Another news article (this time with an AN member quoted):

Quarry losses hit Snowdonia town

The Ffestiniog (Oakeley) Quarry will be moth-balled in April
A town which owes its existence to the slate industry is mourning the closure of one of the last quarries.

On Tuesday Welsh Slate said it had no choice but to "moth-ball" Ffestiniog (Oakeley) Quarry because subsidence had been discovered.

Out of the 55 workers, about half will be offered work at the Welsh Slate quarry at Penrhyn in Bethesda.

A hundred years ago 2,000 men were employed in the slate industry. Two quarries now remain open in the town.

The announcement has left a "dark cloud over the quarry, and a dark cloud over the town," according to one councillor.

"It's looking bleak at the moment," said Gwynedd county councillor Dafydd Hughes.

He added the workers had years of experience and specialised skills.

Gwilym Euros Roberts, who is also a county councillor, said the quarry's closure was a "devastating blow".

Although half the jobs were being transferred to Bethesda it was "money going out of the local economy however you look at it".

If WAG is serious about economic regeneration in Blaenau Ffestiniog then it has to make a commitment to the upgrade of the railway line

Father Deiniol, Eastern orthodox priest
Mr Roberts said there was no-one to blame for what had happened because it was simply a case of safety.

"I'd like to pay credit to the workers as they've taken reduced pay and hours to try and keep things going here," he said.

"It's been in vain... but it's not been an easy decision for anybody.

"Here health and safety is an issue and that is paramount," he added.

There were "exciting" ideas to develop the town for cultural and environmental tourism, but tourism is seen as seasonal work, he said.

'Serious blow'

"I think we need to work with the Welsh Assembly Government and the local authority, and other partners, to bring in new investment," Mr Roberts added.

Dr David Gwyn, a heritage consultant and industrial archaeologist, said the quarry closure was a "serious blow for Blaenau Ffestiniog which is still a city of slate".

The town would not be there if it was not for slate, he said.

"A hundred years ago it was very lively, full of shops... with four railways stations within half a mile of the town," he said.

"Two thousand men were working in the quarry, so it utterly dominated the town," he added.


Half the workforce will be offered jobs at Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda
There was no Blaenau Ffestiniog before slate, he said.

"There will always be a demand for Welsh slates even though it might be for the luxury end of the market - and it would be a pity if that happened," Dr Gwyn added.

Father Deiniol, from All Saints Church in Wales and a resident of the town, said the way forward was to develop the Conwy Valley railway line so it could carry slate waste.

"The industry needs to diversify and needs to do that by implementing the slate aggregates by rail scheme," he said.

To do this the railway line needed to be upgraded but this was something the Welsh Assembly Government (Wag) was refusing to do, he said.

He added: "It refused to do this whilst spending £200m in this region on new roads which do not create one sustainable job.

'Economic regeneration'

"If WAG is serious about economic regeneration in Blaenau Ffestiniog then it has to make a commitment to the upgrade of the line."

A WAG spokesperson said they acknowledged the "uncertainty" created by the decision to moth-ball the Ffestiniog Quarry.

Schemes to create employment opportunities in the area would carry on, the spokesperson said.

"We have already made a recent investment of £4.5m in Blaenau Ffestiniog to boost the local economy.

"This investment is designed to create the right environment for business, attract investment and build a quality destination, linking together the key attractions of the town is vital to develop the economic prosperity of the town and its residents."

A report in September 2009 had concluded however that there was insufficient potential to justify the level of investment needed to upgrade the railway line to carry freight.

"The Welsh Assembly Government and the Council will however continue to work together to look at other ways in which the railway can contribute to the regeneration of the area," the spokesperson added.

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I hope that the level of overburden will be too high to do a surface strip as at Manod et al.

Robin

I can't disagree more with this statement. I'd rather see the quarry working, and men earning wages, than it be mothballed to preserve the view.

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Even though I am sad that I never got to see say, Votty as it was 20 years ago, I have to agree with Derrickman here.

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Any indication exactly which part of the quarry is the problem ?

I have heard mentioned something similar to 'from the slate powder shed to the Tower of B........'?

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Are the recent falls in Maenofferin and Foty linked in any way with this, any earthquakes of note in the vicinity?

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I'd be more tempted to point the blame at the cold weather?

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I'd be more tempted to point the blame at the cold weather?

More like bad mining practice and a lot of rain in November which started things moving.

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What Bad Mining practice?

I can't disagree more with this statement. I'd rather see the quarry working, and men earning wages, than it be mothballed to preserve the view.

I wasn't referring to the view, as it isn't much anyway. I was thinking more in terms of the underground stuff which might disappear under the megadozer's bucket.



Robin

so.. past miners mean more to you than present ones?

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If the roofs of the chambers are unstable now only the foolhardy would explore there now therfore the only way we're going to see any of them them is for the top to finish falling then let the 360s do their work. Ask a friendly quarry worker to point out anything interesting that may crop up.

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If the roofs of the chambers are unstable now only the foolhardy would explore there now

You could say a similar thing about parts of Rhosydd,Croesor etc. In any case, my mine exploration days are in the past so I won't be seeing them.

Robin

I'm afraid the days of 'asking a friendly quarry worker to point out things of interest' are long gone, elf'n'safety killed all that years ago

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From my understanding and what I saw back in 2000 as well as what I could see from Ffridd y Bwlch this winter, a surface strip by benches was exactly what they were doing from the eastern end of Sinc Fawr towards the west, basically "untopping" the walls so that they could be cut away by wire saw and similar devices (I'm sure someone can correct me here). At the eastern end the situation was more complex due to the rapidly rising sides of R'Allt Fawr.

Grahami

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I spoke to one of the lads working in the Oakeley 'pit'over the weekend.
He said to me that they have been working down and into the rock face without benching it and clearing ahead. Also there have been some serious underground falls which have created large cracks for quite a way. If the overhang comes down by itself they could possibly work it.
They cannot get material from other parts of the quarry neither as they have not cleared the top when they worked forward into the rock face. And there is no money presently to finance the untopping.
Possibly a very similar situation as what happened at Votty with no support at the sides of where they have been working etc.

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So, in other words, short term gain for long term pain!