Today marks the end of an era, with the closure of England's last commercial coal mine
The coal industry in England has been in decline for years. The miners' strikes, with mass walkouts and pitched battles over pit closures in the 1980s couldn't save it, and it has faced a slow painful death ever since.
There is still coal here in Consett, but owners Banks Group says it's only commercially viable if they can extend their operation.Protesters took action to stop the expansion of the mine "We have to make this transition and we have to do what can because our lives on this planet are at stake. Economic advances mean for nothing on a dead planet."Banks Group, which operates the mine at Bradley, is currently waiting for Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick to decide whether its plans for a new mine at Highthorn in Northumberland can go ahead.
Lewis Stokes from Banks Group says:"We support the move to a cleaner climate. We're not climate change deniers, we understand that. But at the minute, and for the short to medium term, we need coal.
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