THE residents of three villages are being urged to register their opposition to plans for an opencast mine on nearby fields.

A group set up to fight the proposals wants people in Bowburn, Coxhoe and Old Quarrington to send letters of objection to Durham County Council.

The council is being asked by the Eco Energy Group to give its approval for about 755,000 tonnes of coal to be extracted from 65.4 hectares of farmland between the three villages.

Bowburn Opencast Action Group fought opencast schemes in the 1980s and 1990s, and has been revived by residents concerned about the scheme's impact on the area.

Although it is hopeful that the scheme will be rejected, it wants the council to know the depth of local feeling.

Richard Cowen, chairman of the group, said: "This plan contravenes a number of policies in the local minerals plan and county structure plan, and as such is unlikely to go ahead.

"However, local residents are being urged to send in letters of objection as soon as possible."

The group is holding a public meeting to discuss the scheme, and its opposition to it, in Bowburn Community Centre on Thursday, at 7pm.

The proposed site would operate for at least three-and-a-half years and would work to the boundary of the parish cemetery at Old Quarrington.

Villagers are worried about the effect of dust, noise and pollution from the site and the impact of the 100 lorries that would carry coal to Yorkshire power stations each day.

The action group says that some houses are less than 200m from the boundary of the site.

The consortium is offering to stabilise a small section of the proposed route of the Bowburn to Wheatley Hill road, but the action group fears that mining could compromise the proposed road.

Its restoration plans include putting up three 60m wind turbines some distance from the site and a mixed use development.

The consortium is made up of the former management of Miller Mining, Sillars and Gazelle Wind Turbines.

The action group is concerned that a further opencast proposal could be submitted from another developer to mine land north of this site, which extends into the Cassop Vale.