THE son of a former Burnley miner has criticised the Government for leaving the families of people who died of pit diseases "at the back of the queue".

Brian Wright, 67, of Castle Street, Brierfield, is one of three siblings who have applied for compensation following the death of their father Joseph in 1967, aged 73.

Joseph, who lived in Burnley all his life, worked in the Colne Road collieries for more than 40 years and died from respiratory failure brought about by pneumoconiosis, a common disease among older ex-miners.

Brian, his brother Henry and sister Ethel put in a claim for compensation in 1998 but it has still not been fully processed because the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) prioritises claims from vulnerable former miners and their widows ahead of claims from children.

In 2002 the Wrights received an interim compensation payment of £1,000, which they also shared with seven grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Mr Wright said: "My dad worked in the mines for as long as he could and fought for this country in the First World War.

"It wasn't like it is now - he had to provide his own protective clothing by putting newspaper under his cap and he was trapped down the mine more than once.

"The scars from the mines were all over his body, he didn't have a single straight finger and he kept working there until he couldn't work any more.

"This isn't about the money, it's about the fact that we lost our dad because of his work in the pit.

"All the claims should be treated equally and nobody should be left to the back of the queue."

A spokesman for the DTI confirmed that compensation claims from the most vulnerable ex-miners were treated as a priority and, where possible, their widows' claims also received urgent attention.

She added that estate claims from children, while important, were not of the highest priority.

Over the last five years the DTI has paid £2,267,591 to ex-miners from Burnley who suffered from respiratory diseases and their families.