Force probing its miner strike files destruction

The so-called Battle of Orgreave was a clash between police and striking miners in June 1984

A police force is investigating itself over the destruction of documents related to the miners' strike.

Information about the so-called Battle of Orgreave was said to be among two boxes disposed of by Northumbria Police in April 2024, with the force saying in June 2025 that it was acting in line with data protection rules.

The leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell had called the disposal of the files "deeply worrying".

The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign said Northumbria Police's investigation into its destruction of the files needed to be "swift and transparent".

The violent clash in June 1984 outside a coking plant in Orgreave, South Yorkshire, led to many miners being injured and arrested, although their trials later collapsed.

Thousands of miners were bussed to the coking works on 18 June 1984 by the National Union of Mineworkers, where they were met by an estimated 6,000 police officers from across the country.

At least 120 miners and police officers were injured in the violence and 95 picketers were arrested.

The Battle of Orgreave is considered one of the most violent episodes in British industrial history

A national inquiry into the day's events has now been announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

She said the inquiry had been put "in our Labour manifesto last year and that's what we're now delivering".

Northumbria Police said it was "carrying out an investigation into the circumstances around the disposal" of the two boxes.

"We very much recognise the strength of feeling and concern within our communities at the disposal of information relating to the miners' strike," a spokesperson said.