Concerns raised over mining plans

Concerns have been raised over plans to mine thousands of tonnes of coal near the Wrekin in Shropshire.

UK Coal has plans for open cast mining at New Works and Huntington, Little Wenlock, Telford.

More than 60 people worried about noise, dust, lorry movements and the impact on tourism attended a public meeting on Friday night.

The company wants to mine 900,000 tonnes of coal over 32 months, with 100 lorries a day transporting it.

Pat Hutchings, from Little Wenlock Parish Council, said people living near the proposed site were "extremely concerned".

"People would suffer from noise and dust and one of the biggest concerns was the movement of lorries," she said.

"They have made the planning application but we haven't seen it yet. We really need to look at it in detail because there's some questions we've got that weren't answered."

UK Coal said it would provide a community trust fund of £500,000 for the local area.