By Julie Freer FEARS are growing that a massive crater could be "left open for years" following a financial crisis at an opencast mining company.

The hole which is around 100ft wide and 50ft deep is on the Bag Lane opencast site off Lower Leigh Road, Daisy Hill, Westhoughton.

The Rackwood Colliery Company at Alfreton, Derbyshire is currently in the hands of administrators.

The firm finished mining on the site at the end of 1997, but the hole where the coal was extracted has only partially been filled in.

And Mr Kim Rayment, of administrators Ernst and Young said that it was "not likely" to be filled in.

Instead, it is likely to be sold for a nominal sum - possibly £1 - with the buyer having an obligation to fill it in.

He added that there had been interest expressed in it with landfill or housing development as possible uses.

But both would probably meet fierce opposition in Westhoughton and face a lengthy planning process.

Huge drop

Environmentalists are likely to oppose landfill and campaigners are already fighting the 1,100 home Lee Hall planning application.

Westhoughton Liberal Democrat Cllr David Wilkinson fumed: "We have a bloody great hole in Daisy Hill and nobody to fill it in. It could be like this for years. There is a huge drop and it is frightening to think of children playing near there. There is already a dangerous depth of water in the hole.

"The mention of landfill on the site is horrendous and we would fight it all the way and we already have enough houses in Westhoughton."

The Rackwood company is still trading, but the BEN's call was referred to the administrators.

The company is considered insolvent and the administrators have three months to come up with a package to turn the financial situation around. Mr Rayment added that the Daisy Hill opencast site which goes on to Bag Lane, Atherton is considered a "liability."

He said that the site has been fenced off and made safe.

He added: "We see it as a problem and a nominal £1 to take it away would not be a bad deal."

But he said that the buyer would be taking something which they believe does have potential - probably for a landfill tip or for development.

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