The issue, which is located behind Burleigh Street in Coatbridge, first began in July 2025 and is believed to be historic coal waste burning underground in a wooded embankment.
In November, we reported that North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) had brought in two excavators to help speed up the extinguishing work.
The latest update, posted on January 23, saw the local authority reveal that it’s on track to fully extinguish the remaining smouldering area over the next couple of weeks.
The council stated that its immediate priority had always been to safely stop the burning, and as that was about to be completed, it was turning its attention to the next stage, remediation, restoration, and future management of the embankment area.
Plans and discussions for this next phase are said to be already progressing.
In the meantime, work will begin to dismantle a historic railway structure that was uncovered during earlier excavation work.
Nearby residents are being warned that this may result in increased noise levels while bricks and concrete are removed.
Air quality monitoring will continue throughout the works and remain in line with expectations.
Fog cannons are also continuing to operate to suppress dust.
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The update reads: “Progress on site has continued at pace, and we remain on track to fully extinguish the remaining smouldering area over the next couple of weeks.
“Our immediate priority has always been to safely stop the burning, and as we move towards completing this first phase, we are now turning our attention to the next stage, which is the safe remediation, restoration and future management of the embankment area.
“Plans and discussions for this next phase are already progressing, and we will keep residents living adjacent to the embankment fully informed as work to restore the area moves forward.
“Further investigations of the site will also be carried out to help us better understand the wider area.
“Ongoing geotechnical analysis of the excavated material has shown it to be consistent with colliery spoil.
“In the meantime, work will begin in the coming days to dismantle the historic railway structure that has been uncovered.
“This may result in increased noise levels while bricks and concrete are removed. Air quality monitoring will continue and remains in line with expectations.
“Fog cannons are continuing to operate effectively to suppress dust. We will continue to provide updates as progress continues, and we would remind residents to follow the health and safety guidance in place.
“Thank you again to the residents for their understanding.”
In an earlier update, posted on January 16, NLC said it was estimated that more than 75% of the smouldering material had been removed and that by the end of the works, it expects more than 25,000 tonnes of material, including historic colliery spoil, will have been removed from the site.
Members of the public are still being asked to stay well clear of the fenced-off area and to follow all health and safety advice.
For the latest updates, visit NLC’s website HERE.
