A WINDERMERE-BASED ground investigation company has been filming for a new Channel 5 series on sinkholes and mineshafts.

Geoinvestigate Limited’s team has been in the Delves area of Walsall, investigating a sinkhole which recently appeared at the side of an old ironstone mine shaft and threatened the safety of a house next to it.

As the hole got larger and larger the family became increasingly worried. Eventually the couple’s son contacted Geoinvestigate’s sinkhole and mineshaft helpline for advice and was told that the feature was probably an ironstone shaft dating back to 1886 or earlier.

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Geoinvestigate’s managing director and principal geotechnical engineer Ross Nicolson said: “This is one of the most interesting jobs our team has worked on. Our initial background desk study search and this week drilling investigation have discovered some really interesting information about the history and construction of this mine which will be revealed in the next TV series.

“Ironstone mining in the Delves area pre-dates the Norman Conquest of 1066 though the date of this shaft is likely to be much later perhaps late 1700s or early to mid 1800s. Mining may even stretch as far back as Roman times in the Walsall area.”

Mr Nicolson went on to explain that the mine shaft in Walsall was being investigated with a new type of safe high speed sinkhole and mine shaft probing machine called Microdrill.

It has been specially designed for Geoinvestigate for this line of work. It makes a very small hole and uses very small quantities of water to drill with.

From a personal point of view, Mr Nicolson said that it had been ‘great’ to take part in the show.

“It’s because people love to watch catastrophe,” he said, explaining why viewers would want to watch a sinkhole show. “I mean it’s your worst nightmare, for the ground to disappear from your feet.”

With the company’s continued success, it is able to expand. It is looking to recruit experienced engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers from the local area.

Filming for the series is continuing and Geoinvestigate expect to be further involved. The series is due to be aired on Channel 5 later this year.