IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Kelloe, DURHAM, DH6 4PP

Removal of the coal slurry waste from the bottom of Kelloe Valley. During coal mining operations prior to 1983 at East Hetton Colliery, a dam had been constructed across the valley to retain and store the coal slurry waste that was produced from the coal washing plant. The reclamation works required the removal of the slurry from the valley, transporting it, and mixing it with the red shale of the pit heap to remodel the contours of the existing landscape. Image] Image]

Progress photograph of land reclamation works in May 1991. The image shows the removal of the coal slurry from the Kelloe Valley. The slurry coal waste fill was very unstable and contained pockets of water which if disturbed could result in the sudden collapse of the vertical face of the slurry. A crust would form on the top surface of the slurry and it would appear to be solid, yet beneath it was like a blancmange unable to support construction plant or persons walking on it. Temporary shale berms or temporary access roads had to be constructed to allow plant and equipment to access the slurry and remove it. Image] Image]

Kelloe Beck at this point is a very small watercourse flowing past the site of the former East Hetton (Kelloe) Colliery. The entire area has undergone substantial change since the closure of the colliery in 1983. Downstream of this photograph (behind the photographer) the stream was dammed with a large earthwork adjacent to the colliery main entrance, and the valley was filled with the slurry from the coal washing plant. The resultant reservoir of solidified coal washings had to be mechanically dug out to return the valley to its natural state.