PLAQUES to commemorate the sites of two former collieries in a County Durham town have been unveiled.

Mainsforth Colliery and Dean and Chapter Colliery in Ferryhill each employed 2,500 people at their height. Both closed in the 1960s and now the sites are home to smart recreation grounds, which are well used.

Members of Ferryhill Town Council thought it would be a nice gesture to provide plaques on the sites outlining the history of the former pits.

Local company John Wade helped by providing the stone from Nottingham, and Apprograph Signs, of Chilton, donated the plaques - both free of charge.

Jamie Corrigan, of Ferryhill Town Council, said: "We thought it would be appropriate to have something to signify the past use of both areas and to commemorate the mining history of Ferryhill.

"It's a little bit of education for the younger people who use the facilities without knowing about the mining history."

Former miner Robert Ambler, who worked at the Dean and Chapter colliery until just before it closed in 1966, said he thought the plaques were a good idea. He said: "It's nice for the younger generation to look at and to let them know what the place is founded on."

Mr Ambler, 68, said he supports The Northern Echo's Justice For Miners campaign, which aims to speed up compensation payments to former miners contracting diseases caused by coal dust. He said: "If a miner has an industrial illness, he should be compensated for it as soon as possible."