Mining giant fined after Midlands deaths
UK Coal has been ordered to pay £1.2m in fines and costs after four miners died following safety breaches at two of its Midlands-based collieries.
Three miners, Anthony Garrigan, Paul Hunt, and Trevor Steeples, died in accidents between 2006 and 2007 at Daw Mill colliery near Coventry.
Paul Milner died after an accident at Welbeck Colliery in Nottinghamshire in 2007.
UK Coal was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in connection to the deaths.
The coal mining giant pleaded guilty to all seven breaches at an earlier hearing in proceedings brought by the Health and Safety Executive.
The company was ordered to pay a fine of £112,500 and £187,500 costs for each fatality, totalling £1.2m.
HSE mines inspector Bob Leeming said: "Fewer than 4,000 people are employed in the UK mining sector, which makes four deaths within 18 months even more stark.
"These tragic incidents followed a four and a half year period where there were no deaths in the whole UK mining industry.
"It is even more shocking that these preventable deaths were the fault of one company - UK Coal.
"All it would have taken to prevent these deaths was better management and proper hazard control by UK Coal.
"HSE brought this case because of the serious breaches that were uncovered during the investigations. We will bring further proceedings if similar situations arise in the future.
"UK Coal need to demonstrate that they have learned - and will act upon - the lessons from these deaths."
