What are Coal and Brine Searches and why are they important?

Much of the UK was covered with various mining works, 33% or our homes are within 250m of a potential hazard.  

Are they mandatory?

In some areas, yes: if you are getting a mortgage in an affected area, your lender will insist on a Mining or Brine Search. Even if you’re not mortgaging the property, considering the increasingly wet weather conditions and the impact this has on ground stability, it’s advisable to order one of these searches, the last thing you want is to wake up one morning to your kitchen slipping into an old mining shaft.

According to a report from Landmark Information, 33% of homes in England and Wales are built within 250m of land that may have been used for coal mining and quarrying of sand, clay and gravel pits. So, it’s more likely than you think.

Old mine shafts were often not properly capped or filled and very little sign is left on the surface show they were there. The workings often run long distances underground from the shafts and when old tunnels and shafts cave in the subsidence causes serious damage to anything built above.

Contamination is also an issue: explosive gasses can build up; dumped spoil can contain dangerous naturally occurring elements (such as arsenic) and any water flowing through an old mine may become contaminated.

Coal and brine search
Coal and brine search

When are they ordered?

As with any searches, they should be ordered as soon as you appoint your conveyancing solicitor. As a minimum you should order Land Registry and Local Searches, Water and Drainage Searches, and an Environmental Search. Other searches, depending on where the property is in the country include Radon Gas, Mining or China Clay searches.

One of the first things your conveyancer will do is ask you for money ‘on account’ in order to pay for these searches.

What do they tell you?

Depending on the product ordered, a search will check whether there is a problem with the land the property sits on, for example have other addresses nearby made claims?

If a specific problem has been identified, it may need further reports to identify the real problem and what needs to be done to free you of the risk or insure you against it.

Coal Mining Search

The UK has a rich history of coal mining and the mines and their locations are well documented by The Coal Authority. A coal mining search provides information on the following:

  • Past underground coal mining
  • Present underground coal mining
  • Future underground coal mining
  • Shafts and adits
  • Coal mining geology
  • Past opencast coal mining
  • Present opencast coal mining
  • Future opencast coal mining
  • Coal mining subsidence claims
  • Mine gas emissions
  • Emergency call out surface hazard incidents

Cheshire Brine

Salt has been pumped from beneath the ground in Cheshire for hundreds of years and there is still one salt mine in production. The pumping causes cavities which may collapse damaging any buildings on the surface. A search on Cheshire Brine will indicate whether:

  • the property is within the statutory compensation district;
  • the property is within a Consultation Area prescribed by the Brine Board;
  • a Notice of Damage has been filed in respect of the property;
  • if so, whether the claim was accepted and how it was discharged.

Are there different types?

Not really, if you need a Coal and Brine Mining report it is known as a CON29M. They may look different because you can either order them directly from The Coal Authority or from an independent provider. But they have to contain the same information.

A CON29M is an official search that uses Coal Authority data. It provides information on past, present and proposed coal and brine mining activity for individual properties in England and Wales. It answers all of the official questions requested by the Law Society.

Your conveyancer will either order this directly from The Coal Authority or from an independent supplier. The main ones are:

  • Terrafirma
  • Groundsure
  • Landmark
  • Mining Searches UK

What do they cost?

The cost depends on the type of search and the supplier but mining searches usually start from £30. In some cases, a combined mining and environmental search can be ordered, which will be cheaper than having separate searches.

How long do they last?

When acting on a conveyance, your solicitor has to follow The UK Finance Mortgage Lender’s Handbook, it says that searches must be no more than 6 months old on completion.

If you are thinking of buying or selling your home, you may find some of these services useful: