On this day in 1992, 31,000 miners lost their jobs at the stroke of a pen

The mine closures had a devastating impact on North East communities.

It has been exactly 24 years since the British coal mining industry was dealt a heavy blow when the Government announced the closure of 31 out of 50 deep coal mines across the country.

The closure came after a long and bitter battle between unions, industry leaders and the Government which ultimately saw the demise of 31,000 jobs.

The closures were described as a "savage, brutal act of vandalism" by the president of the National Union of Mineworkers, Arthur Scargill, and a “bad decision” by Labour’s trade spokesman, Robin Cook, according to a report at the time by the BBC.

To compensate the Treasury promised Â£1 billion to help with redundancies and the communities affected, however miners were also threatened with the loss of redundancy entitlements worth up to Â£37,000 should they take any form of industrial action.

The announcement came from President of the Board of Trade, Michael Heseltine.

Only the most economically valuable mines were saved from closer.

The discovery of North Sea gas and increased imports meant coal mining was being fazed out by the government and output was to be reduced to a minimum of 25,000 million tonnes a year.

At its peak during World War II one million people worked in the coal mining industry in 958 mines across the country. By 1993 the entire coal mining industry had been privatised and gas stations replaced their retired coal counterparts.

CLOSURES IN 1984, MARCH ONWARDS

Bearpark, Co Durham Cronton, Merseyside

CLOSURES IN 1985

Aberpergwm, South WalesAbertillery, South WalesAckton Hall, YorkshireBedwas, South WalesBold, MerseysideBrenkley, Tyne and WearBrookhouse, YorkshireCortonwood, YorkshireEmley Moor, YorkshireFryston, YorkshireGarw, South WalesHaig, CumbriaHerrington, Co DurhamMargam, South WalesMoor Green, NottinghamshirePenrhiwceiber, South WalesPye Hill, NottinghamshireSacriston, Co DurhamSt Johns, South WalesSavile, YorkshireTreforgan, South WalesWolstanton, StaffordshireYorkshire Main, Yorkshire

CLOSURES IN 1986

Babbington, NottinghamshireBates, NorthumberlandBersham, North WalesBirch Coppice, WarwickshireCadeby, YorkshireComrie, FifeCwm, South WalesEppleton, Co DurhamGlasshoughton, YorkshireHorden, Co DurhamKinsley, YorkshireLedston Luck, YorkshireNantgarw / Winsor, South WalesPolkemmet, West LothianTilmanstone, KentWhitwell, NottinghamshireWhitwick/ South Leicester, Leicestershire

CLOSURES IN 1987

Newstead, NottinghamshireNostell, YorkshirePolmaise 3/4, StirlingSnowdown, KentWheldale, YorkshireWhittal, Co DurhamWoolley, YorkshireSilverwood, Yorkshire

CLOSURES IN 1988

Abernant, South WalesArkwright, DerbyshireAshington, NorthumberlandCadley Hill, DerbyshireLady Winsor / Abercynon, South WalesLinby, NottinghamshireMansfield, NottinghamshireManvers complex, YorkshireSeafield/ Frances, FifeSouth Kirkby/ Riddings, Yorkshire

CLOSURES IN 1989

Baddesley, WarwickshireBarnburgh, YorkshireBarony, AyreshireBetteshanger, KentBilston Glen, Mid LothianBlidworth, NottinghamshireCynheidre, South WalesHolditch, StaffordshireMarine/ Six Bells, South WalesMerthyr Vale, South WalesOakdale, South WalesRenishaw Park, YorkshireRoyston, YorkshireSutton, NottinghamshireTrelewis, South WalesWarsop, Nottinghamshire

CLOSURES IN 1990

Agecroft, LancashireEllistown, LeicestershireLea Hall, StaffordshireLittleton, StaffordshireShireoaks/ Steetley, NottinghamshireTreeton, YorkshireDonnisthorpe/ Rawdon, LeicestershireFlorence, Cumbria

CLOSURES IN 1991

Askern, YorkshireBagworth, LeicestershireBarnsley Main, YorkshireCreswell, DerbyshireDawdon, Co DurhamDearne Valley, YorkshireDeep Navigation, South WalesDenby Grange, YorkshireDinnington, YorkshireGedling, NottinghamshireMurton, Co DurhamPenallta, South WalesSutton Manor, MerseysideThurcroft, Yorkshire

CLOSURES IN 1992

Allerton Bywater, YorkshireBickershaw Complex, LancashireCotgrave, NottinghamshireSherwood, NottinghamshireShirebrook, DerbyshireSilverhill, Nottinghamshire

CLOSURES IN 1993

Bentley, YorkshireBolsover, DerbyshireEasington, Co DurhamFrickley/S Elmsall, YorkshireGrimethorpe, YorkshireHoughton/Darfield, YorkshireParkside, MerseysideRufford, NottinghamshireSharlston, YorkshireTaff Merthyr, South WalesVane Tempest/ Seaham, Co DurhamWestoe, Tyne and Wear

CLOSURES IN 1994

Goldthorpe/ Hickelton, YorkshireKiveton Park, YorkshireMarkham, DerbyshireManton, NottinghamshireOllerton, NottinghamshireWearmouth, Co Durham

CLOSURES IN 1995

Bilsthorpe, Nottinghamshire

CLOSURES IN 1996

Coventry, West MidlandsHem Heath, StaffordshireMarkham Main, YorkshirePoint of Ayr, North Wales

CLOSURES IN 1997

No collieries closed this year

CLOSURES IN 1998

Silverdale, StaffordshireMonktonhall, Mid Lothian

CLOSURES IN 1999

Calverton, NottinghamshireNorth Selby, Yorkshire

CLOSURES IN 2000

Annesley / Bentinck, NottinghamshireBlaenant, South Wales

CLOSURES IN 2001

No collieries closed this year

CLOSURES IN 2002

Longannet complex, FifePrince of Wales, Yorkshire

CLOSURES IN 2003

Betws, South WalesClipstone, Nottinghamshire

DEEP PITS STILL WORKING

Daw Mill, West MidlandsEllington, Northumberland Harworth, Nottinghamshire Kellingley, Yorkshire Maltby, Yorkshire Riccall, Selby Complex, Yorkshire. Due to close 2004. Rossington, YorkshireStillingfleet , Selby Complex, Yorkshire. Due to close 2004. Thoresby, Nottinghamshire Tower, South WalesWelbeck, Nottinghamshire Wistow, Selby Complex, Yorkshire. Due to close 2004.