A DAY-long visit to a potash mine is on the cards when the German Consul General makes a visit to the region today.

The Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland, Norah Cooney, promised Ingo Radcke a trip to the UK's only potash mine, at Boulby, when the pair first met in December during his first visit to Teesside.

True to her word, the visit has been organised and Councillor Cooney invited another VIP to take part in the excursion, last year's High Sheriff of North Yorkshire, Air Commodore Simon Bostock.

She said: "When we met Mr Radcke last year, I told him our area had the only potash mine in the UK and he told me, his home town has the biggest potash mine in Germany, so I promised to fix a visit.

"I have also met the High Sheriff a number of times at functions and he, too, was fascinated by Boulby, telling me it was a dream of his to visit the mine.

"So I am delighted that the management made it all possible."

The tour will take the visitors almost a mile underground to see how the mine produces its three million tonnes of potash and 750,000 tonnes of rock salt a year.