UK coal hit by fresh delay

The UK’s biggest coal mining firm warned of further production delays today after a “difficult” final quarter of 2009.

The company will begin work on a new coal face at its Daw Mill deep mine in the West Midlands at the end of March – a month later than planned – due to difficult geological conditions.

UK Coal hopes to open up to five new surface mines this year, but added that plans to outsource parts of its operations could set back the beginning of work.

Deep mine production for last year was at the lower end of the group’s forecasts at 5.65 million tonnes, as a fatal accident at its Kellingley colliery in Yorkshire also brought mining to a halt.