Bailiffs in bid to remove
CAMPAIGNERS SET UP CAMP ‘IN TUNNELS’ UNDER SITE OF PLANNED DIG
THESE are the dramatic scenes as police and bailiffs attempt to evict protesters campaigning against an opencast mine in County Durham.
Mining firm Banks Group plans to open the mine in the Pont Valley, near Consett, and extract 500,000 tonnes of coal.
Dozens of campaigners had set up camp on the verge of the A692 between Leadgate and Dipton to prevent the creation of the mine, with many refusing to move.
Around 10 people were still on the site yesterday chained to underground pipes, down holes, up a tree and in a wheelchair on a makeshift platform.
Acting Inspector Dave Clark, of Durham Constabulary, said: “There are still 10 people left on the site – we’ve got two people locked on to a concrete pipe, with bailiffs trying to remove them, two protesters linked to wheelie bins filled with concrete, a woman on a metal tripod platform and three people up a tree.
“We respect people’s right to protest peacefully, and have identified a location 100m down the road for people to demonstrate that will allow the contractors to go ahead with the work.
“There have been no arrests at this stage.”
Attempts to clear the field began at around 6am yesterday as campaigners argued that – with people apparently hidden in underground tunnels – the work could be putting lives at risk.
Anne Harris, of the Pont Valley Protection Camp, said: “There are people in tunnels under this camp and entrance to the site. Any attempt to bring on machinery to evict could result in the collapse of the tunnels and people being killed.”
Durham County Council’s strategic highways manager Brian Buckley pointed out that The Banks Group has