SOLICITORS last night warned that more staff could be needed to process a flood of last-minute lung compensation claims submitted by miners and their families.

The national compensation scheme backed by the Government closed to claimants at midnight last night.

North-East law firms had seen a rush in applications from those wanting to claim damages for crippling lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema caused by breathing in coal dust.

Philip Thompson, of Sunderland based solicitors Thompson & Co, said: "One of our concerns is that sufficient staff and resources should be employed by the Department of Trade and Industry's claims handlers, IRISC, to ensure that the claims are dealt with within a reasonable period of time."

About 101,000 lung disease claims have been registered by miners and their families in the North-East since September 1999 when the High Court approved the setting up of a scheme underwritten by the Government which took on the liabilities of the former British Coal.

A total of £294m has been paid to lung disease claimants in the region.

Energy Minister Nigel Griffiths said: "I want to commend newspapers like The Northern Echo whose campaigning efforts have highlighted the plight of many former pit workers and helped us to deliver more payments, more quickly."

"There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that claims in the pipeline are dealt with, but we will not ease up in our efforts to fully compensate, as speedily and fairly as possible, every single miner who has given their health and sometimes their lives to provide this nation with fuel."