8th July 2009
Scottish Coal break through barricades at Mainshill Solidarity Camp with support from Police
The residents of the Mainshill Solidarity Camp (1) were rudely awoken this morning at around 06.30am by members of Strathclyde police who forced their way on to the site. Local police, accompanied by the V division from Glasgow, representatives from Scottish Coal and Apex workers (2) entered the site using a JCB to demolish barricades that had been built by the occupiers. Flat-bed lorries were then brought on site in order to remove all machinery and property of Apex and Scottish Coal including two drilling rigs, a dump truck and two portacabins. More than 5 vans of police officers waited down the A70 to offer reinforcement.
The site near Douglas in South Lanarkshire is one of 20 new open cast coal mines to have been granted planning permission in Scotland, and the development of the Mainshill site will make South Lanarkshire one of the most heavily mined areas of Europe. Scottish Coal’s plans to mine 1.7 million tons of coal from Mainshill makes a mockery of the local community’s objections to the mine and the Scottish Government’s efforts to tackle climate change (3). Lord Home, the landowner who is set to make a tidy profit from the lease of is land to Scottish Coal, is currently being investigated by the FBI and UK authorities for fraud (4).
Anna Key of the camp said “Apex and Scottish Coal have taken this action because they realise that we’re here to stay. We have prevented Apex from undertaking bore sample drilling work for 3 weeks because this work is essential to the development of the mine which the local community does not want and which will have a devastating environmental impact. Coming onto site with such force demonstrates their desperation and the fact that we have been effective in preventing work from happening. They may have their machines but we’re staying here until we win.”
The use of heavy machinery by police this morning was highly irresponsible since tunnels have been dug which can be occupied to defend the site. Luckily nobody was hurt on this occasion but the Chief Inspector has agreed in principle to a safety meeting with the occupiers who have built up multiple defences including tree houses, walkways and nets in the trees. Nick Fuery one of the occupiers, said the camp was defiant: “We’ll be awaiting the arrival of the National Eviction Team by rebuilding barricades and digging in. The residents of Douglas deserve better than Scottish Coal’s plans for the area and we will continue to resist this environmental and social injustice alongside the community for as long as it takes.”
Update (18:15): Drilling has restarted on the site, with security and fencing around the rig. The Scottish coal technical director is endangering the lives of tunnellers. People still needed to come and stop the illegal work!
For interviews on site please ring: 07806926040
For more information please see www.mainshill.noflag.org.uk and http://coalactionedinburgh.noflag.org.uk/
Notes to Editors:
(1) The Mainshill Solidarity Camp has been occupying Mainshill Woods since 18/6/09 in order to resist Scottish Coal’s plans to develop a new open cast coal mine.
(2) Apex, a Wales-based company, has been contracted by Scottish Coal to carry out bore sample drilling work on the site in order to assess where the coal seams lie.
(3) The plans for Mainshill received over 700 formal objections by local residents from a population of 1000. These objections have been farcically dismissed and disregarded. Recent research suggests that mining coal using the open cast method may in fact produce even more carbon emissions than the burning of coal. See http://coalactionedinburgh.noflag.org.uk/?p=386
(4) See http://coalactionedinburgh.noflag.org.uk/?p=542 for more information about the allegations of fraud committed by Lord Home.