The Lancashire coalfield was once one of the most important in the country.

The Burnley coalfield, in particular, comprised thick seams, formed from the vegetation of tropical swampy forests more than 300 million years ago.

Two major mines, Bank Hall and Hapton Valley, produced thousands of tons over several decades, but there were also several open cast mines in the town's surrounding hills.

One of them was West Close, which opened in 1948 and was mined by Crosby's until its closure in 1959.

Peter Corrigan, pictured here, was general foreman of the site, and held also held its explosives licence, which was granted by Reedley magistrates.

The Four Alls Inn in the centre of the village was one of the places he and his fellow work colleagues frequented and he went back as often as he could later, to reminisce with villagers.

During the 1950s, after a heavy snowfall, the emergency services called on the mine to help assist an ambulance reach an injured lady, whose home in Newchurch in Pendle was cut off by deep drifts.

Excavators from Crosby's site were dispatched and cleared a path through the country roads so the woman could be rushed to the hospital.

The Telegraph covered the incident with headlines praising the Good Samaritans of the Higham workforce and this image from our archives shows the men in their coats, flat caps and wellington boots clearing the snow with their shovels.

Peter's son, also Peter, has sent us these photos of West Close which shows just how vast the open cast coal mine was during workings in the fifties.