Pit jobs fall to new low

JUST 16,500 miners are employed by British Coal following the latest round of pit closures, it was disclosed yesterday. The figure compares with 718,000 at the time of nationalisation in 1947.

Almost 23,000 miners and 2,600 white-collar staff have left BC since October 1992 when the Government provoked an outcry by announcing the closure of 31 pits and the loss of 30,000 jobs. Eight of the 12 pits which were later 'reprieved' have closed.