The Kellingley Colliery banner is carried as thousands of miners and their families take part in a march to mark the closure of Britain's last deep coal pit. With coal prices lower than they have been for years, it's cheaper to import coal from countries including Russia, Colombia and the United States than to dig it out of British soil. Critics say some of those countries have lower wages and worse safety records than Britain. (John Giles/PA via AP
The Associated Press
LONDON (AP) - Thousands of miners and their loved ones have held a sentimental solidarity march in North Yorkshire to mark the closure of Britain's last operating deep coal mine.
The crowds and a marching band filled the streets Saturday in Knottingley, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of London, one day after the final shift at the Kellingley Colliery mine.
Many cheered the miners, who have now lost their jobs and their close-knit way of life. The march was organized by two women whose partners had worked at the mine. Organizer Kirsten Sinclair says "this had to be marked and the guys needed to have some love and affection shown to them for everything that they do."
Britain's mining industry employed more than 1 million people at its peak in the 1920s.
The Kellingley Colliery banner is prepared as thousands of miners and their families take part in a march to mark the closure of Britain's last deep coal pit. With coal prices lower than they have been for years, it's cheaper to import coal from countries including Russia, Colombia and the United States than to dig it out of British soil. Critics say some of those countries have lower wages and worse safety records than Britain. (John Giles/PA via AP
The Associated Press