MPs and unions are calling for an inquiry into alleged police abuse during the 1980s miners’ strike.
A coalition of campaigners want to erase the criminal records of an estimated 7,000 men “falsely charged” in the bitter unrest of 1984-85.
David Hopper, general secretary of the Durham Miners’ Association, said: “We would like to think we could resurrect some cases and have them re-examined to see if they can do anything.”
Easington MP Grahame Morris has co-signed an early day motion asking for the director of public prosecutions to deliver “a full comprehensive inquiry”.
It comes in the wake of a BBC documentary about the 1984 clash between police and pickets at Orgreave in South Yorkshire where 95 miners were charged with rioting, but acquitted a year later.
The South Yorkshire force referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and is looking at allegations of assault, perjury, perverting the course of justice and misconduct.
MPs, including North Durham’s Kevan Jones, said an inquiry should be widened to hold other forces to account for what happened in the North East.