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| Closure of Kellingley pit brings deep coal mining to an end | Closure of Kellingley pit brings deep coal mining to an end |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Miners at a North Yorkshire colliery are working their final shifts as the closure of the pit brings an end to centuries of deep coal mining in Britain. | Miners at a North Yorkshire colliery are working their final shifts as the closure of the pit brings an end to centuries of deep coal mining in Britain. |
| Owners UK Coal said it would oversee the rundown of the Kellingley mine before the site is redeveloped. | |
| Unions said it was a "very sad day" for the country as well as the industry. | Unions said it was a "very sad day" for the country as well as the industry. |
| The last 450 miners at the pit are to receive severance packages at 12 weeks of average pay. | The last 450 miners at the pit are to receive severance packages at 12 weeks of average pay. |
| Keith Poulson, 55, branch secretary for National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), said: "It has been like being a convicted prisoner on death row. | Keith Poulson, 55, branch secretary for National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), said: "It has been like being a convicted prisoner on death row. |
| "We can basically hear the governor coming down the corridor and he's about to put the key in the cell door to take you to meet your fate." | "We can basically hear the governor coming down the corridor and he's about to put the key in the cell door to take you to meet your fate." |
| Mr Poulson said the workers' morale was "absolutely rock bottom, to be thrown on the industrial scrapheap". | Mr Poulson said the workers' morale was "absolutely rock bottom, to be thrown on the industrial scrapheap". |
| "Since it was announced, I feel like somebody's stuck a pin in me and I'm eventually deflating. I feel completely let down," he said. | "Since it was announced, I feel like somebody's stuck a pin in me and I'm eventually deflating. I feel completely let down," he said. |
| 'Industrial heritage destroyed' | 'Industrial heritage destroyed' |
| Phil Whitehurst, national officer of the GMB union, said: "The final 450 miners, the last in a long line stretching back for generations, are having to search for new jobs before the shafts that lead down to 30 million tons of untouched coal are sealed with concrete. | Phil Whitehurst, national officer of the GMB union, said: "The final 450 miners, the last in a long line stretching back for generations, are having to search for new jobs before the shafts that lead down to 30 million tons of untouched coal are sealed with concrete. |
| Miners' memories of Kellingley | |
| Mining machines buried in last deep pit | |
| "This is a very sad day as our proud industrial heritage is destroyed [by the government]." | "This is a very sad day as our proud industrial heritage is destroyed [by the government]." |
| Miners at Kellingley are expected to join a march planned to take place on Saturday at nearby Knottingley, West Yorkshire, to mark the closure. | Miners at Kellingley are expected to join a march planned to take place on Saturday at nearby Knottingley, West Yorkshire, to mark the closure. |
| Seventeen miners have lost their lives at the 58-hectare site since production began in April 1965. | Seventeen miners have lost their lives at the 58-hectare site since production began in April 1965. |
| Photographers meet Kellingley staff at their Christmas party | |
| Updates on this story and more from around the region | |
| A memorial to the dead miners is being transferred from the colliery to the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield. | A memorial to the dead miners is being transferred from the colliery to the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield. |
| Known locally as the Big K, the largest deep pit in Europe was hailed as the new generation of coal mining and could bring up to 900 tonnes an hour to the surface. | Known locally as the Big K, the largest deep pit in Europe was hailed as the new generation of coal mining and could bring up to 900 tonnes an hour to the surface. |
| At its height, Kellingley employed more than 2,000 workers. At the same time, up to 500,000 people were working in the coal industry nationally. | At its height, Kellingley employed more than 2,000 workers. At the same time, up to 500,000 people were working in the coal industry nationally. |
| Privatisation in the 1980s led to national strikes and many miners at Kellingley played a prominent role in the industrial action. | Privatisation in the 1980s led to national strikes and many miners at Kellingley played a prominent role in the industrial action. |