THOUSANDS of miners and their families could be in line for windfalls of up to £25,000 as the depth of the industry’s compensation scandal emerges.

Big law firms notoriously earned millions of pounds representing injured pitmen for claims over industrial diseases such as vibration white finger.

But after they were exposed for withholding monies, the miners signed up with new companies to help them recover the compensation owed.

Professional negligence expert Robert Godfrey, a partner at Simpson Millar solicitors in Newcastle, has discovered that some of these firms have also left miners out of pocket by failing to investigate their claims.

He has set up a specialist unit to help those affected, with individual claims ranging from a few thousand pounds up to £25,000 for younger victims, who would receive the annual payment for longer.

“These miners have been let down from start to finish,” said Mr Godfrey. “It’s scandalous that people can be treated in such a way. These were hardworking men who should have been looked after not taken advantage of.

“We estimate there are thousands of miners in the County Durham, Northumberland and North-East area who have been shortchanged. For solicitors and claims firms to be paid for doing a bad job is disgraceful. These miners have been let down from start to finish.”

Under the 1999 Labour government coal miners' compensation scheme more than 170,000 coal miners are believed to have been paid compensation for the condition vibration white finger suffered at work.

Sufferers have permanent debilitating joint and muscle damage caused by working with vibrating hand-held machinery.

The miners’ compensation scheme has been the most expensive in British history with many lawyers receiving more money than the miners for whose benefit it was established.