FOR generations of North-East men, a life down the pit was the only option.

It was an option which put bread on the table but, for many, proved to be a killer.

With little or no thought given to health and safety by employers, the legacy of a working life in the choking darkness was often disability and agony.

The Northern Echo has for years supported the cause of miners and their families. They played a crucial role in the creation of a prosperous national economy over generations and paid a heavy price. They deserve to be properly compensated for the lung diseases they were left with.

Our revelation today that the DTI is looking at ways of reducing the claims for compensation by moving the goal-posts on eligibility is bound to stir strong emotions.

In 1997, Mr Justice Turner ruled in the High Court that all miners who worked underground between 1954 and 1984, without face masks, were eligible for compensation.

The fact that only 152,000 pay-outs, out of more than half a million claims, have so far been processed is scandalous enough. Men are dying while they wait for what is due to them.

The assessment process has to be speeded up - but not in exchange for 200,000 deserving families being removed from the queue. Making it quicker but less just is not the answer.

Britain has a debt of honour to the country's miners. It should pay that debt swiftly - not attempt to fiddle the figures.