Protesters bring Bradley mine to halt for second day

Protesters gathered for the second of a three days of action at the site

Dozens of protesters opposing the expansion of an open-cast mine site have brought work to a halt for a second day.

About 50 members of Extinction Rebellion climbed fences at the Banks Group's site at Bradley near Dipton, County Durham.

The group said they would not damage any equipment and intended only to occupy the site to stop work.

Banks called the protesters "privileged fools" who had put themselves at risk.

It has applied for planning permission to extend the mine to extract a further 90,000 tonnes of coal and 20,000 tonnes of fire clay.

'Money does speak'

Protester Paul Shepherd, a retired GP from Lanchester, said: "Our aim is to highlight the continued use of these fossil fuels and to stimulate conversation about how it is so important to make change.

"There are lots of reasons to maintain the status quo, but science shows we have to change rapidly in order to prevent catastrophic climate change.

"We hope Banks shareholders sell their shares or put pressure on the management to divest from coal. Money does speak."

On Wednesday, campaigners blocked access to the site with some protesters dressed as canaries sitting in cages.

The Banks mining company said if coal is not produced in Britain then more would be brought in from Australia or Russia.

In a statement, company spokesman Mark Dowdall called the protesters "privileged fools" who had put themselves and others at risk, and he condemned them for stopping local workers from doing their jobs.

He added domestic production of coal offsets "significantly higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions" which would result from increased exports.