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Thoresby Colliery was once considered one of the most successful in the U.K. (© Copyright Chris Allen | Creative Commons Licence)
One of Britain’s last standing coal miners, UK Coal Holdings, said Friday it is shutting down its two last underground operations, marking the end of a 300-year industry that once employed over a million workers.
The first mine, Thoresby Colliery, is ceasing mining on Friday, and 360 employees will be made redundant, the company said in an e-mailed statement.
Operations at Kellingley mine will also end on or around December 15, UK Coal said.
The decision follows a long period of difficult trading conditions, largely due to low international coal prices and geological issues at both mines.
Only last week, Hatfield Colliery in South Yorkshire announced its immediate closure 14 months earlier than expected.
The U.K. imported 1.9 million metric tons of the solid fuel in April, compared with domestic production of 757,000 tons, according to the Department of Energy. Imported coal covered 84% of total consumption last year, compared with 21% in 1995.
Men leaving a UK colliery at the close of a shift. Painting by Gerald Palmer. Image from Wikipedia.
5 Comments
smart rock
So sad. UK moves further into post-industrial territory. Thatcherization is still hard at work, mopping up the last remnants of people actually producing stuff.
Matt
You won’t get much support for the declining coal industry and indeed all mines would cease if the US and China coal plants ceased as they should. An archaic form of energy that served well in the past until the planet got to big and to needy.
butternut
Smart Rock – You need to get over your nostalgic view of the industry. Much of the UK’s coal is horrible lignite – industry was built on an exhaustible resource whose employees chose to use as some kind of talismatic post-industrial-revolution marxist/nonsense refusal to accept reality – sorry about that… mines are closing, move on. Thatcher only said you’ve got a nose on your face.
Michael Wilshire
Butternut – YOU need to get your facts right – Uk’s coal is NOT lignite.
Get off your high horse.
Tom Aspin
Shame did lots for Coal board around this country end of an interesting life .