Birketts Bogmats Involved in Local Coal Mining Feasibility Study
Birketts Bogmats has played its part in feasibility studies that could bring mining and its associated economic benefits back to West Cumbria
West Cumbria Mining is intending to work a coalfield covering an area of around 200km2, creating employment opportunities and generating additional spend within the local economy.
A temporary access way, measuring 180km in length and comprising 180 of Birketts’ high quality and great value bog mats, was laid across part of St Bees Golf Club’s land, to enable an 18-tonne drilling rig to traverse it without churning up or damaging the ground beneath.
The drilling rig was extracting coal samples via a borehole at the back of the golf course, in order to assess the quality of the coking coal and therefore the viability of opening the mine. The mine will be a modern, architect-designed building, environmentally appropriate and acoustically enclosed and will access the coal seams via incline tunnels called ‘drifts’.
Through detailed geological research, and by studying old mines data, the golf course was identified as an ideal place for the test boring. By incorporating the hardwearing timber access mats into the project planning, the impact on the local environment has been minimised.
We supply our mats to projects of this nature across the UK and overseas. We have earned a solid reputation for service excellence and manage every part of the process, even co-ordinating haulage requirements, when necessary. By keeping a large stock of mats at key strategic locations, we can deliver our bog mats swiftly, ensuring that projects suffer no delay and are not impeded by waterlogged, muddy or marshy ground.
Being based so close to the client was slightly unusual for Birketts, but of great advantage to West Cumbria Mining. The Programme Director, Kevin Murphy, commented, “It was handy to find such an experienced bog mat supplier so close to where we needed to work. Birketts understood our needs perfectly and quickly arranged for the mats to be delivered to the site.”
Our managing director, Juanita Watts, said, “We have forty years experience in the timber industry and have our mats used on flagship projects worldwide – even the London Olympics. For once, it was nice to do something closer to home and assist a project that could bring big benefits to the area.”
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