14/2/23 surprising drop in water levels

Estelle Sandford, James Begley, Duncan Butler, Stu Lindsay

45mins

Visited Cutlers to check water levels, noted some more rocks had fallen from the roof, we need a longer bar to prod a few suspect places next week. Estelle & Duncan went to look at the water levels and were surprised to note that the water had dropped to a level where there was an inch or so on top of the grill and beyond the dam was 2-2.5ft below the dam height. Suspect if the weather forecast is correct, then we may well be able to dig next week as the water levels have dropped way more than expected. We came back out, each took some rubbish from the pile to go and headed off to look at a dig called Eric. 

7/2/23 still flooded but dropping off

Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Jon Riley, Stu Lindsay

1hr

went to check on water levels and also have a bit of a clear up as a lot of the items we had stored had been scattered all over by the flooding. Looked at the water level and it's down by the bag hole in the floor area. Everything above is looking pretty stable with the bag wall and also passage around the cave. Jon prodded a few ceiling rocks around the edges in the top shaft that were loosened by the water levels reaching above the entire pit. We went through the bags and bagged up a load that need throwing away and also all the dead skips, we'll gradually remove these over the coming weeks to our bins. Tidied up all the usable bags and skips and hopefully it won't flood again this winter now and the water levels will continue to drop. 

31/1/23 less flooded, but still flooded...

Update from Mike Moxon

I had a quick look around the bottom of the ladder last night before going on elsewhere.

5 sets of buckets are still sat where we left them, more surprising is that 3 scrapers (as the lightest items) are also on top of the wall. I guess that means another set of buckets is still adrift underground (they were only ones floating when Jon & I visited). Bags are covered in a thin layer of silt, wall hasn't moved but at least one of the steps has (a bit) - 2 photos. Red winch box still in situ, mini mattock next to it precariously perched! Empty bags are scattered all over with one still half way up the wall (need a pole to dislodge it). Loose stones at base of wall are washed cleaner & water was at c.155m level on survey in left side dig (so you can step down from Stu's rock, but flooded from there, other photo - presumably same in main passage, which means chamber at other end of railway would have been chest deep - I didn't check as wasn't wearing caving kit).