SERIOUS concern over plans to open a new coal mine on moorland above Burnley and Bacup are expected to be voiced by planning chiefs in Burnley this week .

Councillors will hear a chorus of objections when they respond to consultation by Lancashire County Council on plans by Wakefield company Corbex to remove 500,000 tons of coal and clay in a 67-acre trench mine on Heald Moor.

Objectors, including the Civic Trust, Cliviger Parish Council, local residents and Burnley MP Peter Pike have listed a dozen reasons for the mine plan to be rejected when it goes before county council bosses for a final decision.

They include fears that work will pollute spring water supplies to homes, contaminate rivers, harm wildlife, damage the landscape, cause dust and noise pollution and leave a permanent scar on the landscape.

Last night a public meeting in Todmorden town hall saw several hundred residents voice their own fears, as Mr Pike told them he totally opposed the proposal.

At Thursday's meeting of Burnley's development control committee, councillors will be asked to demand that if permission for the work is granted the cash bond to ensure restoration is carried out should be big enough to guarantee it will be done.

In their report to councillors, officers say they are not happy with the results of an environment impact study of he project which, they say, does not adequately address some issues and briefly dismisses others.

Officers say footpath links across he moor should be maintained at all times.

A spokesman for the applicants said the company had been working closely with the Environment Agency and stressed the development consisted of a new environmentally-friendly form of mining.

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