A NORTH-EAST surface mine operator says it has hit a major production milestone.

Banks Mining says its 150-strong team at Shotton surface mine, in Northumberland, has extracted one million tonnes of coal for the first time in its 38-year history.

Banks, which has headquarters near Durham City, said coal from Shotton represents about eight per cent of the total amount mined every year across the UK.

Bosses expect the Shotton site to remain in production until 2018, with coal produced last year helping to provide energy for about 420,000 homes.

Neil Cook, Shotton site manager, said: “Every single one of the workers at Shotton, from the management and engineers to the plant operators, is very proud of this achievement.

“To extract that much coal in such a short period has been a tremendous team effort.”

Gavin Styles, executive director at Banks Mining, added: “Everyone involved with Shotton has worked hard over the last year to improve productivity and have also done so in the right way.

“The coal we produce at Shotton provides substantial numbers of jobs for local people, supports domestic industry and electricity generation.”