A MULTI-million pound deal has been struck to supply coal to Clitheroe's Castle Cement works.
The firm has signed a contract with RJB Mining to supply 300,000 tonnes of deep-mined coal from Maltby Colliery near Rotherham.
The coal, which will transported mainly by rail, will be used to fuel cement kilns at the Ribblesdale works.
Castle choose RJB over rival coal suppliers from Venezuela and Colombia.
"As the supplier of around 25 per cent of the British demand for cement we are delighted that we have been able to buy our coal in Britain," said Castle's production director Peter Weller.
"RJB can supply the quality and quantity we require at a competitive price."
The firm said the fact that the coal could be delivered by rail was an important factor.
The Maltby Colliery employs more than 500 people and produces about 1.5million tonnes of coal a year.
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