Anti-Mining Protesters Go Nude to Halt Diggers

Naked eco-campaigners climbed on to machinery at the site of a planned mine near a Derbyshire village.

Two people – one wearing only a tie – jumped on to diggers belonging to UK Coal as they moved on to the site in Bell Lane, Smalley, yesterday

The pair are members of environmental group Leave it in the Ground, which is against UK Coal’s proposal to spend four-and-a- half years removing coal from the 334-acre site, beginning in the autumn.

For the past five weeks, a handful of the group’s members have been camped in a derelict farm building on the site.

Protester Peter Nelson, of Nottingham, said the machines had been moving but stopped when members of the group stood in front of them, then climbed on to them.

A police spokeswoman said no damage had been caused to the machines during the incident at 10.50am yesterday.

She said: “We are investigating to see whether they have committed any offence.”

Last week, UK Coal won a court case to evict the protesters. A spokesman said yesterday: “We regret that their presence has once again distracted the police from more meaningful duties.”

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