How many workers are employed at the Torr quarry in Somerset?
The site employs over 250 people and produces 7.5 million tonnes of limestone annually which is carried directly from the quarry by Mendip Rail.
What rock is mined at Torr quarry?
Most of the area is underlain by the Carboniferous Limestone on the southern limb of the Beacon Hill Pericline which dips at around 20º–50º to the south and south-south-east. The Carboniferous Limestone is bounded along its southern margin by the Cranmore Fault which almost follows the A361.
What county is Torr quarry located in?
Somerset County
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Torr Works Quarry (Merehead Quarry) | Quarry (Active) |
| Cranmore | Civil Parish |
| Mendip | Group of Divisions |
| Somerset | County |
How big is Torr quarry?
600 acres
When Aggregate Industries decided to expand one of their quarries, a new dewatering system was required to manage the increased flow of water and to ensure daily operations were maintained. Covering 600 acres, Torr Quarry is the largest in the UK producing six million tonnes of construction aggregate per annum.
How has Torr Quarry been made more sustainable?
What is quarrying? The quarry will be deepened and operations carried out until 2040. Torr Quarry has become more environmental sustainable. Quarry has direct access to the A361 road (avoids other traffic).
How many tonnes does Torr Quarry produce each year?
Torr quarry produces over 5 million tonnes of aggregates per year. These products are used in a variety of applications including asphalt, ready-mixed and precast concrete, coastal and river defence and road construction.
How is Torr Quarry sustainable?
Torr Quarry has become more environmental sustainable. Monitoring of noise etc. is reported to the government department ‘Environmental Agency’ every year. Quarry has direct access to the A361 road (avoids other traffic). This A road links to the railway.
Why is Torr Quarry nationally important?
Torr Quarry is a limestone quarry in the Mendip Hills. It employs over 100 people and contributes more than £15 million towards the local economy each year. Torr Quarry is an example of how modern industrial development can be more environmentally sustainable.
What happens to quarries when they are finished with?
Once depleted of their desired resources, quarries are frequently abandoned. The resulting gaping holes can fill with water and form dangerous quarry lakes while others are turned into unsightly landfills.
What are companies expected to do once a quarry has been used?
The quarrying company is expected to restore or improve the quarry site after they have extracted the rock. Areas that have already been quarried can be restored while works go in other areas of the quarry.
How can you make a quarry more sustainable?
- Plan for landscaping. Quarries should have a plan in place for how to landscape the remaining land once the quarry has been exhausted.
- Recycled aggregates. Providing recycled aggregates is an effective way to reduce the environmental impact of a quarry.
- Safe landfill.
- Reduce visual and noise pollution.
What are the problems with quarries?
Quarrying creates pollution from noise and dust. Heavy traffic causes pollution and congestion on narrow country roads. The vibrations from heavy traffic can cause damage to buildings. Quarries create visual pollution and tourists may be deterred by the scars on the landscape.
Where is the Torr Works quarry in Somerset?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Torr Works quarry, is a limestone quarry at East Cranmore, near Shepton Mallet on the Medip Hills, Somerset. The quarry was formerly known as Merehead, a name which has been retained for its rail depot on the opposite side of the A362 road.
Where is the quarry in East Cranmore Somerset?
Torr Works. Torr Works quarry, grid reference ST695446 is a limestone quarry at East Cranmore, near Shepton Mallet on the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England. The quarry was formerly known as Merehead, a name which has been retained for its rail depot on the opposite side of the A361 road.
Why did Somerset County Council refuse to reopen Bartletts quarry?
The company applied to reopen Bartletts Quarry in Nunney, arguing its existing operations at the nearby Torr Quarry could not cope with growing demand from London and the south east. But Somerset County Council said the case for reopening the quarry was “weak” and would impact negatively on those living near the site.
When was the first train from Torr quarry?
The quarry was connected to the East Somerset Branch in 1970 and the first train operated from the quarry on 19 August 1970. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Torr works.
