ALN VALLEY COAL SUPPLY SECURE FOR 2021 AS APPEAL HITS £10,000

The Aln Valley Railway’s coal supply for next year is secure, after its coal appeal raised £10,000 in less than a month.

Fearing that it would lose its coal supply after its local source, Banks Group’s Shotton surface mine, ceased production in June (SR507), the AVR launched its ‘One Lump or Two?’ appeal to enable it to stockpile the pit’s remaining lump coal “as it is unknown if, and when, the next local opencast pit will be able to open.” Although it reached its initial £10,000 target, the railway is keeping the appeal open “so that we can get as much coal stockpiled as possible,” said AVR press officer Roger Jermy.

The AVR is only the second railway to launch such an appeal, after the North Yorkshire Moors’ ‘Cash for Coal’ appeal in 2012.

It comes as Durham County Council denied planning permission for an extension to Banks’ Bradley West pit, which would have enabled it to mine a further 90,000 tonnes of coal.

Councillor Mark Wilkes said: “When this first came up, it was argued it was in the national interest to dig this site up; I think it is now in the national interest not to. The proposed community and national benefits do not outweigh the unacceptable impact on the environment and amenities of local communities.”

Banks Group’s environmental and community director Mark Dowdall said the mining firm was “extremely disappointed” by the decision, adding: “At a time when every second story on the news is about job losses caused by the pandemic, this decision has effectively handed the muchneeded jobs of our skilled local workforce to Russian miners, who will be delighted to meet British industry’s continuing need for coal and who will significantly increase global greenhouse gas emissions by doing so.

“We will now review the precise reasons for this decision before agreeing on the most appropriate steps to take.”