Salt extraction under Stafford Common

DMUK

A few posts under my belt
Long story short, looking to buy a house up by Stafford Common. Searches came back with high risk of ground instability.

Some amateur Google sleuthing and I discovered the old Stafford Salt and Alkali company and the massive amounts of brine taken out from under the ground around there, halted in 1970.

This forum came up in search results too with a thread on this from 2009. So it's time to raise a dead horse for a fresh beating. I've not managed to find any stories of recent subsidence in the area or any damage and the house we're looking at was built in 1998.

Anyone heard tell or know of anyone/any stories of any ongoing problems from all this salt extraction?

One would assume this would all be settled by now. Especially if building works were approved in 1998 (though regs may have changed). Obviously we'd bring in a surveyor and we're digging deeper with Landmark's searches (pun intended) but you can't beat a good bit of local knowledge and anecdotes to put the fear of god into you! :D
 

The Hawk

Well-Known Forumite
Salt extraction was halted, as I understand it, following a 1969 court case instigated by Lotus Shoes, who were able to link the main subsidence events to the times when brine was been pumped up. There were three saltworks on the common, all next to each other, close to Stafford Common railway station. Brine was also pumped from the common, via a pipeline to the Baswich saltworks.

Stafford did suffer from a lot of subsidence, during the period salt was extracted although, as @Gramaisc suggests, it is unlikely to be much of a problem nowadays.
 

DMUK

A few posts under my belt
Actually turns out from a BGS survey they reckon the real risk is sinkholes (though they used a lot of posh words to get to the same point). You're right, salt works in the area historically but it's the soluble rock that's there naturally which is the issue.

According to the map most the Common and everything around could be swallowed up (or not) at any time (or never).

What fun. Makes me wonder if where we rent now has a similar issue. Luckily we only rent, so if we die we'll be fine?

Good point on the neighbours. They all seem rather pleasant, shame they'll all be vanished into a bottomless pit soon (or never).
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
The most significant issues were around the south end of Oxford Gardens, Corporation Street, Sandyford Street, Crooked Bridge Road, etc. It's why there are few houses in Sandyford Street and why a good bit of John Wheeldon School is 'new'.
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
Is that the reason these houses on Corporation street are on the piss ?
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