Daw Mill Coal Mine Shutting Down

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - Weeks after a major fire forced the evacuation of 100 coal miners from the Daw Mill Colliery in Warwickshire, England, owner UK Coal (Doncaster, England) has announced that it is to shut down the mine permanently with the loss of up to 650 jobs.

The mine is the largest deep coal mine still operating in the U.K. but owner UK Coal has blamed the closure on the ongoing blaze which started on February 22nd. The company had suggested that there was a only a slim hope that the mine would be reopened but that option has now been ruled out. The company said that the fire is the largest seen in a U.K. coal mine in over 30 years and "continues to burn ferociously at a depth of 740 meters with no signs of it reducing" despite the ventilation being turned off to starve the fire of oxygen. For additional information, see March 4, 2013, article - Major Fire Shuts Daw Mill Coal Mine in U.K..

"This has been a terrible week, not just for the company and its employees but also for the energy security of the country, as it brings an end to 47 years of coal production at Daw Mill," noted Kevin McCullough, Chief Executive for UK Coal Mine Holdings. "Having successfully completed the restructuring, and being only weeks away from returning to healthy production, this ferocious fire has dealt a blow to everything we tried to achieve over the last 12 months - in just 10 days."

He added: "The deep mines at Kellingley and Thoresby, together with the surface mines, continue to produce coal for use in the U.K.'s power stations. We are now exploring the possible transfer of some colleagues to our other mines. Regrettably however, this news is likely to see the majority of the Daw Mill workforce being made redundant and our thoughts and best wishes are with these colleagues and their families at this difficult time."

The country's Minister for Energy, John Hayes, said: "I have written to the unions to express my deep regret that, following a recent serious fire, UK Coal has taken the decision to close Daw Mill colliery. Our priority during this unsettling time for employees is to ensure that everyone is given our full support. I know there is an opportunity for some workers to be redeployed at UK Coal's other deep mines at Thoresby and Kellingley".

The Daw Mill closure comes just months after Hargreaves Services announced it was mothballing the Maltby Colliery, near Rotherham, with the loss of 540 jobs. Maltby has been producing coal for more than 100 years but the owner claimed it was no longer viable on safety, geological and financial grounds. The pit will be shut permanently at the end of this month.

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