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| Cheddar cave 'biggest in Mendip Hills' | Cheddar cave 'biggest in Mendip Hills' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A cave discovered in Somerset is thought to be the largest ever found in the Mendip Hills. | A cave discovered in Somerset is thought to be the largest ever found in the Mendip Hills. |
| The 30m (98ft) high and 60m (197ft) long cave was found in Cheddar by the Tuesday Diggers caving group. | The 30m (98ft) high and 60m (197ft) long cave was found in Cheddar by the Tuesday Diggers caving group. |
| It took the group four years of tunnelling before they discovered the "vast chamber" of stalagmites, stalactites and 5m (16ft) tall pillars. | It took the group four years of tunnelling before they discovered the "vast chamber" of stalagmites, stalactites and 5m (16ft) tall pillars. |
| Martin Grass, one of the cavers, said: "More people have stood on the moon than have stood in this chamber." | Martin Grass, one of the cavers, said: "More people have stood on the moon than have stood in this chamber." |
| Digging through silt and gravel, splitting boulders and occasionally using explosives, the group has spent up to four hours a week since 2008 clearing a narrow 0.5m (1.6ft) passageway. | Digging through silt and gravel, splitting boulders and occasionally using explosives, the group has spent up to four hours a week since 2008 clearing a narrow 0.5m (1.6ft) passageway. |
| They were finally able to enter the chamber on Tuesday. | They were finally able to enter the chamber on Tuesday. |
| 'Vertical rock wall' | 'Vertical rock wall' |
| "It's a bit like Escape from Colditz," said Mr Grass, who has been caving for 42 years. | "It's a bit like Escape from Colditz," said Mr Grass, who has been caving for 42 years. |
| "You've no idea what you're going to find but we had all the signs. | "You've no idea what you're going to find but we had all the signs. |
| "The limestone walls were scalloped, which showed a river had flowed through there, and there was a good draught and the more we went on the better and better the draught got." | |
| Ten days ago, with the draught "howling", the group of cavers crawled along their 100m (328ft) tunnel to emerge through the floor of a smaller chamber. | |
| "There was a vertical rock wall about 12 metres high," said Mr Grass. | "There was a vertical rock wall about 12 metres high," said Mr Grass. |
| "And we descended that on Tuesday, thinking this passage would continue, and in fact it opened out into this massive chamber the height of a 10-storey building." | "And we descended that on Tuesday, thinking this passage would continue, and in fact it opened out into this massive chamber the height of a 10-storey building." |
| The vast underground chamber, named The Frozen Deep by the group, lies beyond a cave called Reservoir Hole. | The vast underground chamber, named The Frozen Deep by the group, lies beyond a cave called Reservoir Hole. |
| It is, according to Mr Grass, the largest underground chamber so far discovered in the Mendip Hills. | It is, according to Mr Grass, the largest underground chamber so far discovered in the Mendip Hills. |
| "There are two floor-to-ceiling columns or pillars both five metres long and pure white," said Mr Grass. | "There are two floor-to-ceiling columns or pillars both five metres long and pure white," said Mr Grass. |
| "And it's filled with stalactites and stalagmites which are some of the best discovered not just on the Mendips but in the UK. | "And it's filled with stalactites and stalagmites which are some of the best discovered not just on the Mendips but in the UK. |
| "It's only 20 miles from Bristol but other than the six of us, nobody has ever been there - so it's quite a thing." | "It's only 20 miles from Bristol but other than the six of us, nobody has ever been there - so it's quite a thing." |
| Graham Price, chairman of the Council of Southern Caving Clubs, said the previous largest cave found in the Mendips had been GB Cavern, a 6m (19ft) wide by 12m (39ft) high by 90m (295ft) long chamber discovered in the 1940s. | |
| "You just don't find things of this size in the Mendips - chambers that you can walk through," he said. | |
| "So we're really thrilled for the group and really, really excited about it." |