Dipton opencast mine: Government to review planning permission

Campaigners claim the decision not to revoke the company's mining permit was flawed

The government is to review the future of a County Durham opencast site at the centre of environmental protests.

Banks Mining was given permission to extract 500,000-tonnes of coal from Pont Valley, near Dipton, in April.

Several protesters have been fined for blocking access, claiming the site was home to a rare newt.

Communities Secretary James Brokenshire has agreed to consider whether the planning permission should be revoked.

The move comes after campaigners lobbied for a fresh look at the planning application process.

Campaigner June Davison, who lives near the site, said: "The Secretary of State can't repair the damage that has been done here, but the least he can do is stop it getting worse."

A spokesman for Banks Mining said: "We do not believe there would be any justification for the revocation of the planning permission that was granted to the scheme through the appropriate processes."