Letter: The mines: effects of closure on the economy, the environment and individual lives

Sir: Neil Clarke, British Coal's chairman, was quoted as saying the 30,000 miners losing their jobs was a 'reality we have to live with'. I would suggest that the country is becoming unable to cope with the so-called 'economic realities' that this government is imposing upon the country.

I live in Blidworth in the heart of the Nottinghamshire coalfields and I can assure any reader that the effects of these closures will be absolutely devastating. They come on top of earlier closures that have already ripped the heart of the community. I would ask the Government to picture a village where the majority of the adult male population awake each morning with virtually nothing to do.

I read of politicians talking about miners starting up new businesses, but these politicians are living in an unreal world because areas like Nottinghamshire have got too many self-employed businesses seeking too small a market. I would ask the Government to consider deeply its actions, and begin to consider its ever-depressing economic plans which are bringing this country to its knees.

Yours faithfully,

ANTHONY R. SCOTT

Blidworth, Nottinghamshire

14 October