Former miner Bill Kelwick protests against job losses in the industry

Four men in pit gear demonstrated outside the Department of Trade and Industry(DTI) in London, on Tuesday, with 'Coal not Dole' placards.

The protesters, from Yorkshire and Derbyshire, said the government should renationalise collieries to preserve the jobs remaining in the industry.

But the DTI said they were doing their best to keep British pits open.

Imported coal

Former miner Terry Bukeraitis said coal should be an integral part of the country's energy needs because gas is running out and there are huge reserves of coal left.

"Private companies have taken handouts from the government and then closed down pits," he said.

"They don't care about the communities which are affected by pit closures."

British coal was handed to an official at the DTI, while another bag of imported coal was smeared with tomato sauce to depict the blood of overseas miners who work in poor conditions.

Protestors said coal of "dubious origin" should not be imported at the expense of closing British mines.

Direct subsidies

But a DTI spokesman said they were putting up to �60m into the industry over five years through the Coal Investment Aid(CIA) programme, which aims to safeguard and create jobs in the industry.

"CIA aims to encourage coal producers to invest in projects that maintain access to coal reserves and helps ensure the economic viability of those mines," he said.

"Since 1997 we have invested over �163m in direct subsidy to help keep British pits going."

There are just 12 deep pits in the UK today, employing 7,000 miners.