Four thousand holes in Reading, Berkshire

It's not only Don Foster who is in danger of collapsing into old mine workings. Yesterday's Guardian reported that:

A labyrinth of mines was created in and around Reading from the 18th century on to extract chalk for bricks. But over the next 200 years people forgot where most of the mines were and houses were built over many of them. Now mysterious holes have opened up across the town. Walls give off odd creaking sounds as foundations shift and, in extreme circumstances, bits of houses have vanished.

I do hope Reading Liberals have not lost any Focus deliverers recently.