No new coal says Lib Dem leader

12.00.00am GMT Fri 9th Jan 2009

The leader of Leeds Lib Dems is adding his voice to those opposing a new open cast coal mine near Leeds.

Plans have been announced to build an open cast pit near Fairburn Ings, to the South-East of Leeds. If built, developers plan to extract 875,000 tonnes of coal from the mine over five years. This will lead to the release of approximately 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

A public protest against the plans will be taking place this Saturday 10th January. Protesters will meet at the White Horse pub in Ledston before walking to the site of the proposed pit, about a mile and a half away. Cllr Richard Brett, leader of Leeds City Council's Liberal Democrat group will be attending and is urging others to join him.

Cllr Brett (Lib Dem, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill) said:

"Man-made climate change is with us now and we need to do all we can to stop it. Opening new coal mines is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing.

"Coal is one of the dirtiest fuels out there. If this pit gets the go ahead it will see 2 million additional tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere.

"I urge anyone who feels as strongly as I do about this issue to join me at the protest on Saturday."