When a mine ends production, a certain amount of coal must be left to support the roofs so that the chocks can be removed.
It is necessary, because the roads are chock-a-block as people try to get through.
When you travel the country you see railway sidings chock-full of empty wagons, which stand there for days on end unmoved.
In one depot we would find any amount of accommodation, while another was chock-a-block with vehicles.
From 12.30 p.m. onwards, the restaurants are chock-a-block with visitors, and that can no longer be tolerated.
The face and brow were supported by props and bars closely set, and the roof at the goaf edge was further supported by chocks.
Every little turning within a quarter of a mile area of the market is chock-a-block with traffic to and from the market.
That is one of the problem areas—because their surgeries are chock-a-block with the over-40s and over-50s, sadly, they are missing telltale signs.