Max: -1

Min: -5

Wind: 5

ENGINEERS have poured tonnes of concrete into an old pit shaft to make it safe.

The ground in part of the Racecommon Road allotments sunk by about 4ft after heavy rain leaving the managing committee baffled.

Malcolm Priestley is secretary of Barnsley Smallholdings and Allotments Ltd which owns the plots. He said: "We did not know what to do so we filled it in. We were surprised when we found out it was a pit shaft. If Mrs Fox, who gardens it, had been there I don't know what would have happened."

When experts took a closer look they said the subsidence was caused by an old pit shaft. The area was fenced off and contractors have this week been on site sorting the problem.

They used diggers to remove about 12ft of soil and clay and reveal the old mine workings. Malcolm said: "They thought it would be 2m across but it was actually 3m. It has been capped and they have put steel reinforcement down and put 18m of concrete in."