Desk study: an initial desk study was undertaken to determine the availability and nature of existing information. Sources included local and area authorities, North West Water archives, libraries, mining records office at British Coal and local knowledge.

Site geology: comprising:

  • A variable thickness of made ground associated with the previous coal, steel and iron industries in the area

  • Alluvial deposits (locally known as Warp) associated with previous courses of the River Derwent formed channel features across the area. Materials encountered included very soft to soft clays interbedded with silts and thin peat horizons

  • Glacial granular deposits comprised sandy gravels with cobbles and boulders to the north of the area grading to fine to medium sands to the south

  • Glacial clay was noted to the north of the site overlying rock and comprised a typically firm to hard sandy clay with cobbles and boulders. These boulders, as with those encountered within the glacial gravels, are derived from igneous, metamorphic and hard sedimentary rocks

  • Coal Measures rocks comprising interbedded sandstones, siltstones, mudstones and numerous coal seams