'Green' electric heat planned for Durham miners' hall

County Durham was once the biggest deep mine coalfield in the world

The home of the Durham Miners is set to be powered by the heat of the earth.

Construction has begun to fit their 108-year-old headquarters, Redhills Durham Miners' Hall, with a ground source heat pump system.

Over 8,000ft (2,438m) of boreholes have been sunk to tap heat from rocks at a depth of over 426ft (130m).

The system will provide carbon dioxide-free central heating in a building which has been described as "once at the heart of industrial coal mining".

• How do heat pumps work and how do I get one?

Redhills CIO chief executive Nick Malyan said: "It is somewhat poetic that we are installing the most carbon neutral heating system to a building that represents generations of miners, their families and communities."

Over 20 bore holes have been sunk at Redhills

It is estimated that 30 billion tonnes of coal was extracted from Durham pits and burned all over the world, over its 200-year history.

CEO of the leading contractor Meldrum Group, Dave Meldrum, said: "The ground source heating brings Redhills roaring into the modern era."

The site is also being developed into a centre for education and heritage and the building is set to reopen to the public in late autumn next year.