A Hollywood film based on 1875 Lan mining disaster is planned

The Lan Colliery employed more than 300 people but when a gas explosion tore through the coal seem, 16 people were killed.

Among the dead were two children aged just 11 and 12.

The mine's overman, Abraham Phillips, who was killed in the disaster, was blamed for taking men underground having been warned of the risk of gas.

But the fear of closure, and what that would mean to the community, meant he felt it was a risk worth taking.

"He had an impossible decision," said Norma Procter, whose book on the tragedy has attracted the attention of film producers in Hollywood.

As a result of the disaster, new laws and safety measures were introduced, including limits on the time children worked underground and a ban on women working below the surface.