p>A residents group, in a tranquil part of Leicestershire, has announced their opposition to UK Coal’s plans to mine for 1.25 million tonnes of coal and 250,000 tonnes of clay in the National Forest. This huge opencast site, on the edge of Measham, will be a major intrusion into the landscape and into the lives of hundreds of people in the village of Measham and the surrounding area of Newton Burgoland and Swepstone.

UK Coal is proposing to reopen the Minorca Pit site, between Measham and Swepstone as an opencast mine. The site will be over one mile long and half a mile wide. On three of its four sides, the boundaries will be Swepstone Road, Gallows Lane and Bosworth Road respectively. The fourth side of the boundary is a public footpath between Bosworth Road and Swepstone Road approximately 700m west of Swepstone. They intend to work on the site for a total of 4.5 years, extracting 1.25m tonnes of coal and 250,000 tonnes of clay, 12 hours a day (Monday to Friday 7am -7pm) plus 6 hours a day on Saturdays also from 7am. This will generate, they say, an average of 12 HGV movements an hour.