£1.2m penalty over pit deaths

Britain’s biggest mining firm has been ordered to pay £1.2 million in fines and costs after four miners died following safety breaches in four separate cases.

UK Coal admitted offences under health and safety laws in relation to the deaths of Trevor Steeples, Paul Hunt, Anthony Garrigan and Paul Milner.

The first three died following incidents at Daw Mill colliery, near Coventry, in 2006 and 2007. Mr Milner died after an incident at the former Welbeck Colliery, in Nottinghamshire, in 2007.

A Sheffield Crown Court judge fined UK Coal £112,500 in relation to each incident and imposed £187,500 in costs in each case.