UK Coal to miss targets

THE death of a miner at one of its main pits will see UK Coal miss production targets for the year.

The company, which is also warning of diving revenues from falling electricity consumption during the recession, will see output this year drop 6% below the top end of its 2009 target.

The 46-year-old miner and father of two died at the deep-mine Kellingley colliery eight days ago after equipment collapsed on him. It reportedly took nearly two hours to get the miner out of the shaft and he died at Leeds General Infirmary.

UK Coal is under investigation by the Health & Safety Executive and police over the fatality.

The HSE is prosecuting UK Coal over four deaths at its Daw Mill and Welbeck mines in 2006 and 2007.

On HSE orders Kellingley has been at a standstill since 23 October and is expected to be so for at least another week. That, said UK Coal, will mean production, which was already struggling to hit group output targets, will come in 6.2 million tonnes for the year against a hoped-for 6.6 million.

Falling energy prices have seen revenues in the year to date fall 12% to £255 million.