Last pit ponies emerge from the darkness: Closure of North-east's only remaining colliery marks end of historic partnership, reports Barrie Clement

THE LAST four pit ponies employed by British Coal came blinking into the light yesterday after their final day's work.

When Flax, a 14-year-old grey Welsh mountain pony, trotted out of Ellington colliery in Northumberland it was the end of a historic partnership.

Union leaders, however, could be forgiven for feeling that the response to 1,000 human redundancies at Ellington colliery, the last pit to shut in the North-east, has been relatively muted. They feel that over the last 18 months the public has become inured to closures. The industry is now down to 17 working collieries with more shutdowns to come.

Meanwhile, Flax enjoyed his moment of fame as he left the pit yard, his eyes protected from the light by heavy leather blinkers.

Brought up the 434ft-deep shaft ahead of him were Alan, a dark bay Dartmoor pony; Carl, another grey Welsh Mountain pony; and Tom, a Black Fell cob.

At one time, Ellington employed more than 80 ponies and horses hauling tubs of coal but the number has steadily reduced. The last four were employed salvaging steel girders and wooden supports.

Ian Bates, pit under-manager, said the ponies worked the same shifts as their handlers and took rests and meal breaks at the same time. They were allowed out of the mine once a year for a two- week holiday.

The ponies had been stabled about four miles underground in the main seam. At the end of each shift they were washed down, groomed, fed and stabled in an area serviced with electricity and running water. They had daily checks from the blacksmith and farrier and an annual medical, Mr Bates said.

The ponies' predecessors were not as well cared for. Between 1920 and 1925 an estimated 10,000 ponies were killed or injured every year in British mines. Many suffered harness sores which failed to heal because of the stagnant, rancid air underground.

Offers of homes for the Ellington ponies have poured in from all over Britain. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals interviewed all the prospective owners and examined grazing and stabling arrangements before choosing their retirement homes.

The new keepers have had to promise that the ponies must not be ridden or worked and the RSPCA will carry out regular checks to ensure that they remain in good condition.

The ponies are not the last animals to leave the industry. Some horses are still used in private collieries, particularly in south Wales, and canaries - once used to test for gas - are still required underground by law.

(Photograph omitted)