THE co-leader of the Green Party has made renewed appeal on the Secretary of State to intervene to prevent an opencast coal mine going ahead.

Jonathan Bartley spoke todayas he visited member of the Campaign to Protect Pont Valley, who are fighting to stop Banks Group starting work on a new opencast coal mine.

The Banks Group has permission to remove 500,000 tonnes of coal from the Bradley site, between near Dipton and Leadgate in County Durham.

Mr Bartley said: “The plans are simply not wanted and are not necessary and not welcome here.

“We know the dust is going to hit the local primary school and the trees are being chopped down which would have provided a barrier to the mine.

“They appear be breach of planning regulations and Section 106 commitments and there might even be criminal activity taking place in breach of the Countryside Act 1981 in terms of protected species..

“The secretary of state has already intervened in one opencast mine site. “Sajid Javid’s successor James Brokenshire should also intervene in this situation.

“This needs to stop now. We can’t do this if we are going to meet our climate change commitments.”

The Banks Group has said work at the mine is “being progressed in strict accordance with the requirements of its planning permission”.

Stuart Timmiss, head of planning and assets at Durham County Council, said: “The S106 agreement referred to requires the protected right hand turn works to have been completed prior to the commencement of soil stripping.  As these highway works have not yet been completed, the S106 requirements have not been met. 

“However, as the S106 is a separate agreement to the planning permission, a breach of it does not constitute a breach of the planning conditions and does not stop an approval being implemented. It is however a matter which we are actively pursuing with Banks.”