WORSLEY MP Terry Lewis has made a Commons attack on the company planning to carry out a giant opencast mining scheme near Atherton and Tyldesley.

He criticised RJB Mining for seeking millions of pounds in subsidies to keep its deep mine pits open while pressing ahead with plans for the Cutacre opencast site.

He has put down a Commons motion saying that the Government should not hand over £73 million in financial aid to keep the company's deep mines in the North-east of England and Yorkshire open.

His motion says that he "believes, however, that deep mine coal production can best be safeguarded by achieving a reduction in opencast production" and urges Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, not to grant consent to any further applications for opencast coal mining -- such as those in his constituency -- by RJB. Mr Lewis said he thought it was wrong that the company should be seeking Government cash to save deep mines while it was pressing ahead with proposals for cheaper opencast at Cutacre.

Mr Lewis said: "I am pretty unhappy that RJB should be seeking Government cash to save deep mines.

"It's a bit rich to do this at the same time as pressing ahead with opencast sites, which undercut the products of deep mines and will at the same time destroy beautiful countryside between Bolton and Worsley.

"RJB should abandon proposals to rip up the countryside and concentrate on trying to save the deep mines."

And he has the sympathy of Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly.

She said: "I do think that the policy on opencast should be a presumption against, unless there is an overriding case for it.

"I have now written to every member of Bolton's Planning Committee setting out my strong opposition to the proposals for opencast at Cutacre."