Expert rules out pit reopening

A coal industry expert last night ruled out any possibility of Ellington Colliery reopening once it is abandoned by its current owner.

Newcastle-based Dr Andrew Cox - editor of UK Coal Review - said it would cost tens of millions of pounds to restart production at the flooded pit after UK Coal pulls out - and much more to access future coal reserves.

But he also questioned the company's claim that the closure had been prompted by safety fears, claiming financial considerations are probably paramount.

Dr Cox said: "If the pumps at Ellington are turned off and the mine is flooded and abandoned by UK Coal there is no chance of it being reopened. Once these things happen a mine is as good as lost.

"New face equipment alone would cost millions of pounds and once the roadways have been lost and collapsed the overall cost of reopening is almost impossible to estimate.

"I believe UK Coal looked at the cost of putting this flooding right and decided it was not worth keeping the pit open any longer. I don't believe the decision was taken on safety grounds, it was purely a financial and accounting issue."

Last night UK Coal insisted that safety was the paramount consideration in the decision to close the mine, saying that continuing to cut coal in the flood-affected area would run the risk of a much more serious inrush of water and potentially tragic consequences.

Spokesman Stuart Oliver said: "We are being asked to gamble with safety and we are not prepared to do that."

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