RESIDENTS are protesting against proposals to transfer a huge slag heap in Atherton to a nearby disused open cast mine.

The plan involves filling Bag Lane open cast mine with hundreds of thousands of tonnes of coal waste from the Gib Field Tip, off Schofield Lane.

Derbyshire-based Rackwood Colliery Co Ltd hopes it can reclaim up to 200,000 tonnes of coal from the waste, which was deposited from deep-mines operated last century.

But residents near the Bag Lane site, which is partly in Atherton and partly in Westhoughton, say the proposal will cause problems from dust and noise.

They also say the scheme would raise the open cast site to levels higher than the surrounding countryside, blocking off the open view from their houses.

The residents said the company had promised to restore the site, which is in green belt land, after they finished the open cast operation.

They have collected a 64-signature petition and sent 13 letters of objection to Wigan Council which is considering the application.

The Gib Field Tip slag heap covers 34 hectares.

The waste will be washed and the available coal will be reclaimed.

It is expected up to 12 lorry loads of coal a day will be taken off the site and that it will take three years.

Bolton and Westhoughton town councillor David Wilkinson said the scheme would be unacceptable to the people of Westhoughton.

He said: "There will be three years of dust, noise and traffic.

"The open cast hole should have been filled and restored by last August."

Rackwood project manager Tom Allchurch said: "It would have been preferable to have developed the Gib Field site earlier than we have done but there were matters outside our control that didn't enable us to do that."

He said the company had done a full environmental evaluation of the site and would minimise possible disturbances to nearby residents. He added the restoration programme of the site would include trees, shrub areas, grazing land, a wet land area and extended public access.

Wigan councillors have deferred a decision.

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