The first 2 piles have proved rather difficult. They are approximately 30m deep by about 4' diameter and go into the bedrock. Shale, sand and running water have all been encountered within the holes causing problems. Conditions are cold and muddy. The steel reinforcing is put into the metal tube and today, 21st September, the concrete was poured into the first pile. The tubes will be withdrawn and used for the next piles. The concrete is fed into a hopper connected to a long tube, the bottom of which is below the level of the concrete already poured. This pushes the concrete up along with any water in the large tube. The water is pumped out into a series of filtration tanks. (If I've got any of this wrong, I'm sure the gentlemen on the site will put me right!)