PROTESTERS celebrated the end of opencast mining with a community picnic yesterday.

Despite the weather, campaigners enjoyed a glass of champagne at the Bradley site, between Dipton and Leadgate to mark Banks Group’s departure from the the area.

With the recent closure of the last opencast coal mines, England has joined Scotland in reaching the end of opencast coal mining, which residents say was a necessity to avoid the worst of the climate and ecological crises.

Banks Group was prevented from obtaining consent to extract further coal from the Bradley site in the Pont Valley in July 2020.

Decision makers opted to side with the more than 6,000 letters of objection sent in opposing further work at the mine.

The application was rejected on the grounds that the environmental impacts of the scheme.

At the time, Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at The Banks Group, said: “We are extremely disappointed with those planning committee members who voted against the advice of their own expert planning officers’ clear recommendation to approve our Bradley West mine.

“However we are grateful to all those who have given their backing to this project.”

In the same year the company also had applications refused for coal extraction at Dewley Hill, North of Throckley and Highthorn, near Druridge Bay, both in Northumberland.

The firm was the last company pursuing new English opencast coal extraction planning permissions.

Pleased resident June Davison, said: “The opencast coal site has affected the entire geology of the valley. Our community stood united for decades to fight off coal companies, then to try to keep Banks Group within the planning constraints, and lastly to prevent an extension being granted. 

“Banks Group brought noise and dust into our homes, released toxic mine water run-off into the environment and disrupted our community. 

“It has been a difficult period, but we are delighted to see the back of Banks Group and that is what we are now celebrating.”.

The site would of been 33m from the nearest homes, where 250 metres had been the acceptable standard in the past.