 People whose property was affected sought compensation, but the difficulty arose in identifying who was to blame, as pumping can affect an area several miles away.In 1889, The Verdin Trust was established by Sir Joseph Verdin to compensate people for subsidence caused by brine pumping.However, in 1891 the Brine Pumping (Compensation for Subsidence) Act was introduced to provide compensation for owners of property, thereby rendering the Trust redundant.