A CONTROVERSIAL opencast would be the ruination of beautiful countryside, causing environmental devastation and landscape destruction, villagers have told a public inquiry.

A major three-week inquiry into Hargreaves Surface Mining’s bid to mine 514,000 tonnes of coal and 83,000 tonnes of fireclay from a 135-acre site known as Field House between Pittington and West Rainton, east of Durham City, began on Tuesday (September 29).

Members of the public were given the chance to air their views to inspector John Woolcock at Pittington Village Hall on Thursday (October 1) and many lined up to voice their opposition to the scheme.

Rob Hales, a Pittington-based artist, said it would be the “ruination” of an “intrinsically beautiful” area and a scar on the landscape.

The former teacher said a generation would be blighted by the sight of environmental vandalism, followed by decades of uncertainty.

Businessman Jonathan Wells said Pittington was a nice place to live with beautiful views, particularly from Pittington hill.

Julie Stobbs, part of Durham Wildlife Trust, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the West Rainton Green Group, said Field House was a pleasingly unspoilt piece of countryside that was increasingly under threat and Hargreaves should rather invest in renewable energy.

Pitch Wilson, for the CPRE, said opencasting would cause environmental devastation and landscape destruction, all for enough coal to supply the country’s power stations for two to three days.

Andrew Fraser-Urquhart QC, for Hargreaves, declined to cross-examine any of these witnesses.

However, earlier this week he said the project would have a short duration, be conducted in an environmentally acceptable manner, bringing beneficial restoration of the land, which is currently used for farming.

The work would last three years, followed by five years of “aftercare” and ten years of “long-term management”.

Durham County Council, which refused planning permission for the opencast in June last year, has finished its case to the inquiry.

Further public evidence will be heard on Friday (October 2), before Hargreaves begins its case on Tuesday (October 6).

The inquiry is due to sit Tuesday to Friday until Friday, October 16. Mr Woolcock will then conduct a site visit, before announcing his finding early next year.