Solicitor, Graham Balmforth, comments on how the problem with living in a country with an industrial heritage is that occasionally the remnants of that past bite back.
In Cornwall and the south west the intensive tin mining that took place in the 17th through 19th century has scarred the landscape with mine entrances and abandoned works. In Newcastle the rich coal seams that fed the furnaces of the Industrial take-off have similarly resulted in a network of underground shafts that are subject to no monitoring or engineering checks.
It came therefore as no surprise to us at Applebys that the A1 round Newcastle was the subject on Sunday of a massive sinkhole that appeared rapidly. The only surprise was that this was not the cause of any reported injury or loss. Apparently locals were shocked and angered by this unwarranted delay on their travel times.
Some time ago both myself and a colleague “leaflet bombed” an area of Sheffield where a housing development was recently completed on a patch of land where there is huge amount of mine shaft entrances and tunnels. We offered, without charge, to any resident who bothered to enquire, to check if the property they lived on was built over such an entrance and then – again without charge – to litigate against the developer who sold them the property.
As you can imagine, we sat back smugly and waited for the Tsunami of enraged home owners who had been sold a “lemon”. We are still waiting. Ultimately, people it seems have no interest in what is under their feet, until that is the ground becomes unstable, at that point they reserve the right to be “shocked and outraged”.
It may be a feature of the times we seem to be living in but I can’t help but wonder if “angry and regretful” are the new classifications for the British people.
At Applebys we can help you claim compensation from your conveyancer / solicitor, builder or surveyor if they failed to inform you of the existence of mine workings either directly below or nearby your home. Call 0800 169 1325 for a FREE assessment.