Bridge protest over opencast mine

The opencast mine Ffos-y-Fran overlooks Merthyr Tydfil

A protest by climate activists has stopped work at a controversial opencast mine in south Wales.

Two men suspended themselves from a net under a new bridge near the Ffos-y-Fran site close to Merthyr Tydfil.

Miller Argent, the company which runs the site, confirmed that the 242 workers at the site were sitting idle.

The men said they were stopping lorries transporting materials from going in and out of the site. South Wales Police are at the scene.

The protest is taking place at a bridge which has been constructed by the company near the site.

Argent Miller joint managing director James Poyner said: "For safety reasons we cannot operate beneath them.

These people are preventing other people from getting on with their lawful occupation James Poyner, Argent Miller

"They have brought a substantial element of the works to a stop for their safety.

Mr Poyner said the two protesters were discovered at 0630 BST, and the company has not been able to start work there.

He said: "This is aggravated trespass. These people are preventing other people from getting on with their lawful occupation".

One of the protesters, Paul Jones, said they had been suspended since 0400 BST and police and Argent Miller management have been talking to them to try and persuade them to get down themselves.

He said police have a cherry picker on site which they might use to get them down.

Lawful protest

The protesters said they have come prepared to stay for quite a while and that more would be arriving later.

Assistant chief constable Dave Morris of South Wales Police said: "Police officers are currently dealing with an incident involving two protestors at a location near the Ffos-y-Fran opencast mine.

"For health and safety reasons, the road known locally as the Bogey Road, has been closed. The police have a responsibility to safeguard the rights of people to go about their lawful business, whilst at the same time, to facilitate peaceful protest.

"Any policing response will be proportionate.

Mr Morris added:"I would like to reassure the public that we will be working closely with our partners, including Miller Argent, to resolve this matter and we will also be communicating with the protesters at the same time."

In August, campaigners set up climate change camp near the mine for a three-day protest

Work to mine 10m tonnes of coal over 17 years from Ffos-y-Fran began in June 2007 after a public inquiry.