‘Kellingley Colliery could close within days’

Kellingley Colliery could shut within the next ten days if workers refuse to agree to a ‘managed closure’ of the site.
Kellingley CollieryKellingley Colliery
Kellingley Colliery

Energy Minister Michael Fallon announced yesterday that a £10m loan, alongside £10m from the private sector, would support the “managed closure” of the pit, which employs 700 workers, along with another at Thoresby, in Nottinghamshire, which employs 1,300 people.

But the deal has yet to be formally agreed and UK Coal, who run both sites, claims they could close if a deal cannot be agreed.

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Andrew Mackintosh, director of communications, said: “Everything needs to be agreed within the next ten days at the most, otherwise we risk the two sites closing and all 2,000 jobs going at the same time.

“At least it will be more phased if we agree this deal rather than all of us looking for jobs at the same time.”

Workers at the site and Pontefract and Castleford MP Yvette Cooper have vowed to fight for a long term future at Kellingley.

But Mr Mackintosh added that the firm had been looking for investment for months.

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He said: “The firm would need about £100m in investment to make it an ongoing business and for a long term future.

“We have had an offer within the last few weeks but they pulled out. The main priority is to prevent the imminent closure and agree to the managed closure deal.”