Cumbrian coal mine

Simon Marsh  |  Features  |  earth watch
Date posted:  1 Feb 2023
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Cumbrian coal mine

An artist’s impression of the new coalmine near Whitehaven photo: West Cumbria Mining Company

A few weeks before Christmas, controversy exploded in the environmental world when the government gave planning permission for a coalmine in Whitehaven, Cumbria. It would be the first new coalmine in the country in 30 years.

Now the UK would not be what it is today without coal, a bountiful source of concentrated energy which has been exploited since Roman times. Plentiful supplies powered the Industrial Revolution and led to the creation of close-knit mining communities from the South Wales Valleys to the Clyde.

The industry experienced a long decline in the 20th century, not helped by militant strikes in the 1970s and 80s. I was reminded of this recently by the BBC series Sherwood, which focused on the bitter divisions created by the strike in the Nottinghamshire coalfield.

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