A new drug could bring hope to thousands of retired miners in the region whose lungs have been wrecked by life underground.

Spiriva, or Tiotropium, is a once-a-day inhaled powder which can significantly reduce the distressing symptoms of lung conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

The news came as Government figures revealed that £1bn has now been paid to former miners whose health was wrecked from working down the pits.

Energy Minister Brian Wilson said more than half of the "landmark" figure had been paid since the beginning of the year to lung disease and Vibration White Finger sufferers Lung diseases, which are known as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) wreck the lives of thousands of people, including ex-miners and many smokers.

More than one in 100 people in the UK have COPD and with 26,000 fatalities a year is the sixth most common cause of death in England and Wales Professor Paul Corris, a chest specialist at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital, said Spiriva "is the best new drug I have ever seen" for conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Prof Corris is one of a network of specialists around the UK to try out the newly licensed drug with chest patients.

He was impressed by the results.

"Over a 12 month period there was significant increase in lung function over all the existing treatments and the benefits remained throughout the year and there was no fall off in effect which you see in some of the treatments," said Prof Corris.

Symptoms such as breathlessness were improved and the need for hospital admission was reduced in patients taking the new drug.

While Spiriva should now be available throughout the NHS it could take some time for hospital drug committees to approve funding for the drug, he added.

That could be good news for ex-miners like Ben Aitken, 80, from Wheatley Hill, County Durham.

Mr Aitken, who was a miner for 46 years, is severely disabled by emphysema and chronic bronchitis and often finds it difficult to breath.

"Anything that can help people like me get their breath has got to be good news," said Mr Aitken.

Chris Segovia, a lawyer at the Newcastle branch of Thompsons Solicitors, estimated that about 80 per cent of the 12,000 retired miners represented by his firm in industrial disease compensation claims suffered from COPD.

In the North-East £270m has now been paid out under both schemes with 57,000 claims being registered for lung disease compensation payouts alone.

Mr Wilson said 800 new claims were being lodged every week under the lung disease scheme.

He said: "There is no financial ceiling on the money available for compensation.

''We will meet our obligations to the full in every case - including those where, sadly, the miner has died and the claim passes to his widow or estate.''

The Northern Echo's long running Justice for the Miners campaign has highlighted delays in the compensation process and led to a number of improvements in a bid to fast track the claims of the oldest and sickest. .