Home | Friday 6th August 2010 | Issue 734
WREKIN CREW
Protesters from the Huntington Lane Camp in Shropshire successfully navigated a raft down the River Severn on Sunday to raise awareness of the proposal by UK Coal to mine 900,000 tons of coal. The raft, made from recycled materials, flew a huge “No New Coal” banner as it sailed past EON’s Buildwas B coal-fired power station and on to Ironbridge where locals and tourists cheered the protesters making their photo-op opposition plain.
Another group from the camp spread the message on land by walking along the riverside and educating anyone crossing their path. There is no shortage of issues raised by the proposed mine and the impact that it would have on the surrounding Shropshire Hills Area of Natural Beauty. The extraction is set to include 250,000 tonnes of fireclay as well as the coal and devastate 230 hectares of prime heritage land, all in the shadow of one of the area’s most prominent landmark hills, The Wreckin.
Let’s not even dwell on the at least 2,430,000 tonnes of climate changing CO2 emissions due to be pumped into the atmosphere during its lifetime.
The camp at Huntington Lane Surface Mine Site was set up in March after trees were felled on the site indicating that UK Coal intended to begin mining (see SchNEWS 714). Since then, there has been a permanent camp at Huntington, where residents have been busy building tunnels, structures and defences around the camp. They’ve managed also to interest local press and keep the campaign visible from beyond the nearest hedge.
Already the proposed date for the commencement of work has been forced back, first from early June to the end of June, then to mid July to early August; latest word on the street is that it has now been put back until the end of August.
It’s not too late for more bodies to make a difference. Anyone wanting to get involved is welcome at the camp and donations of food, tools and water are always needed.
