A PIECE of the region's mining heritage has been secured, thanks to two County Durham ex-pitmen.

The Mahogany drift mine at the Beamish Museum, near Stanley, was facing closure because museum bosses could not find a qualified miner needed to enable it to comply with health and safety laws.

After an appeal, museum staff found Tom Muncaster and Stuart Davison. It was a case of friends reunited for the former east Durham miners, who had not seen each other for more than a decade.

The pair worked at Murton Colliery until its closure in 1991, then transferred to Westoe Colliery in South Shields, before it closed.

Mr Davison, 50, of Hetton-le-Hole, whose father and grandfather were Murton miners, said: "I didn't think I would ever see another coal seam again.

"When this job cropped up, I had to go for it - this is our roots.

"I honestly feel privileged. It is a unique job, serving the community and ensuring some of our heritage is preserved."

The museum's head of historic operations, Jane Gibson, launched the appeal last September, after colliery under-manager Martin Gallagher, 65, retired.

Because the drift mine was once a proper working pit, it is governed by the same strict health and safety regulations.

To keep it open, the museum needs certified mine deputies, who are qualified to carry out gas safety checks and trained in first aid.

Mr Muncaster, of Dalton-le-Dale, whose family were all miners at Murton, said: "This drift mine is very important. The mining industry is virtually obsolete, but is part of our North-East heritage.

"Future generations should know how mining came to be and what it was all about. This is what Beamish captures."

The mine's remaining deputy, George Wilkinson, 64, will take the new boys through their training, before he follows Mr Gallagher into retirement next year.

Although Mr Muncaster and Mr Davison secure the drift mine's future at Beamish until 2020, they fear that the decline of the mining industry will leave bosses with a far worse problem next time they have to recruit deputies with mining experience.

Mr Gallagher said: "Eventually, they will have to set up a school, so people can get a certificate to work down a tourist mine. It won't be the same as having a real miner, but it could be the only way the places like this stay open."