Scotland’s historic coal mining industry was on the brink as 590 workers were laid off by court-appointed liquidators as they moved to close down six opencast pits.
The blow came within hours of the Court of Session approving a request by the directors of troubled Scottish Coal to appoint Blair Nimmo and Tony Friar as joint provisional liquidators of the company in Alloa.
The pair have also been joint administrators of Castlebridge Plant Limited, a fellow subsidiary company of the Scottish Resources Group.
The move means an end to coal mining operations at St Ninian’s at Kelty with the immediate loss of 18 of the 28 jobs and a further two posts will go at the mothballed Blair House site at Oakley.
In Scotland as a whole, 590 jobs were cut immediately as four further mines in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire were shut down. A total of 26 staff based at Scottish Coal’s headquarters in Castlebridge were also facing life on the dole.
The collapse of Scottish Coal leaves just ATH Resources which itself has suffered significant financial problems as the sole major coal mining firm in Scotland.
The firm operates the Muir Dean site near Crossgates in Fife.
