Over 200 youngsters at a Swadlincote school have their playground back - five months after a sudden hole in the tarmac sparked safety fears.
A small dip in the surface turned into a sizeable hole within days back in May, leaving 217 children at Elmsleigh Infant and Nursery School in Queens Drive without any playground space. The hole was blamed on subsidence due to coal mining activities in the area in decades gone by.
The Coal Authority, which deals with the legacy of Britain's coal mining, confirmed that the hole was the result of previous mineworking and quickly began repairs. The collapse was initially infilled with stone before drilling was undertaken to ascertain the extent of the problem.
Drilling revealed the extent of the collapse and it was designated as being a shallow unrecorded shaft – a possible bell pit.
Shallow workings were also found under the remainder of the playground - and the Coal Authority capped the shaft with a reinforced concrete slab and also filled the old workings with concrete grout.
The initial work was completed during the first week of the summer holidays, but the pupils were still without the final touches to the repairs – the markings geared for outdoor play on the ground.
The school said that at all times pupils' safety was of utmost concern and alternative provisions were made to ensure all children had access to outdoor play.
Now, specialist contractors working on behalf of the Coal Authority – Thermoplastic Designs and Lines – have reinstated the markings, including a rainbow and number squares designed by the youngsters themselves.
Charlotte Hancock, the school's business assistant, said the work was the final part of the repair programme.
She said: "The event was quite surprising. A small dip in the playground on a Friday had turned into a hole by Monday. Fortunately, no one was hurt during the incident but it left the children without their large playground.
"The playground was reinstated over the summer holidays and all the children needed were some new markings that would let them play their games during break times."
Alan Hines, project manager for the Coal Authority, said the markings brought an end to the repair work. "It will be good to see the playground finished with new markings that have been designed by both children and parents. This will bring a very nice end to an incident, which saw both the playground and the markings ruined."
