UK Coal heads to court to evict Wrekin mining protesters

UK Coal today said it would be heading to court to get an order to evict protesters from the company's mining site in Telford.

The company, which owns the land at New Works, near the Wrekin, needs a court judgement to remove the protesters who set up camp there last year in their fight against plans to mine 900,000 tonnes of coal.

The protesters have several tents, lookout points and tunnels at the site.

David Bolton, surface mines manager for UK Coal, said: "We will be going to the county court in due course to gain access for the possession of our land. If they go then that's great, but if they don't we will have to review our position to gain access to the land."

Suzie Murphy, a campaigner at the site, said: "We are not going anywhere. What they are doing is unacceptable and we plan to cost them as much money as possible. We have people in tunnels and others in tree houses waiting for the moment they come on site.

"We are not going to be violent, but we will not be easy to get rid of."

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