11 in court over coal mine demonstration

ELEVEN people have appeared in court following an incident at an opencast coal mine site when a group fastened themselves to diggers by their necks.

The protest took place on October 26 as part of a sustained campaign by environmentalists who are against the mining by UK Coal at a site in Bell Lane, Smalley.

In total, 20 campaigners entered the site and halted work for three hours when they attached themselves to machinery. They came down after police arrived.

Samantha Brown, 25, Eleanor Fairbrother, 21, Rebecca Hayward, 21, James Trickey, 32, and George Fenoulhet-Walker, 28, all of Albany Road, Nottingham; Sam Belcher, 23, of Norwich, Dominic Hildreth, 30, of Premier Road, Nottingham, Carrie Ann Mackinnon, 46, of Ashdale Lane, Llangwm, Wales, Katherine Millman, 34, of The Square, Bestwood Village, Nottingham, Benjamin Rath, 21, of Laurie Avenue, Nottingham, and Judy Thorne, 22, of Gedling Grove, Nottingham, yesterday appeared at Derby and South Derbyshire Magistrates' Court.

They are all charged with a obstructing or disrupting a person engaged with lawful activity.

Brown and Fairbrother have also been charged with aggravated trespassing and failing to leave the land when directed by the police.

All 11 spoke only to confirm their names, addresses and dates of births at the hearing. Police confirmed the charges all relate to the incident at the Smalley site.

At the time, environmental group Earth First said the demonstration was part of an ongoing campaign to stop new coal mines and coal power stations being created in the UK.

Yesterday's hearing was adjourned until January 8, 2010, and all of the accused were given bail on the condition they did not enter any site owned by UK Coal PLC.

This incident came just a week after more than 700 campaigners staged a protest at a power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar. This action resulted in 56 arrests.