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Over 100 vertical shaft linings (VSLs) in Southeastern Chiina are subjected to unpredictable fracturing and many more in thick alluvium are at risk from fracturing. This could be caused by the continuous increase of negative skin friction (NSF) induced by the drainage of water-saturated deposits. Monitoring has been undertaken of strain behaviour in a VSL in the main shaft at the YQ colliery in China, and its effects on concrete deterioration. The shaft was sunk using ground freezing methods and is now embedded in thick soil deposits. It was found that the strain continuously decreased accompanied by a sinusoidal fluctuation due to the influence of NSF and temperature. The normalised strain increment between strains at peak and trough increased every year while the corresponding compressive strain dominated by NSF decreased. This implied that the concrete was deteriorating, and the increase in the difference between peak and trough strain with depth suggested this was depth-dependent. The deterioration rate varied for different VSLs with different NSF levels, with a relatively large NSF giving a large attenuation rate of concrete. The reliability of the proposed approach was validated by the Schmidt Hammer Technique., Over 100 vertical shaft linings (VSLs) in Southeastern Chiina are subjected to unpredictable fracturing and many more in thick alluvium are at risk from fracturing. This could be caused by the continuous increase of negative skin friction (NSF) induced by the drainage of water-saturated deposits. Monitoring has been undertaken of strain behaviour in a VSL in the main shaft at the YQ colliery in China, and its effects on concrete deterioration. The shaft was sunk using ground freezing methods and is now embedded in thick soil deposits. It was found that the strain continuously decreased accompanied by a sinusoidal fluctuation due to the influence of NSF and temperature. The normalised strain increment between strains at peak and trough increased every year while the corresponding compressive strain dominated by NSF decreased. This implied that the concrete was deteriorating, and the increase in the difference between peak and trough strain with depth suggested this was depth-dependent. The deterioration rate varied for different VSLs with different NSF levels, with a relatively large NSF giving a large attenuation rate of concrete. The reliability of the proposed approach was validated by the Schmidt Hammer Technique.