RESIDENTS who thought their opencast mining misery was coming to an end could be in for a shock.

Blasting operations at the Bag Lane site on the Atherton/Westhoughton boundary are drawing to a finish and the area is due to be reinstated by the summer. But a councillor has warned that the nuisance of muck, traffic and noise could continue for another three years.

Cllr David Wilkinson, leader of Westhoughton Town Council, said that the mine operators Rackwood Colliery Company, are now proposing to dig up the neighbouring Gibfield Colliery site, off Wigan Road, Atherton, to wash 200,000 tons of coal.

Cllr Wilkinson says the announcement was made at a recent meeting of the Opencast Liaison Committee, which he attended, and a planning application was going to be submitted by the company.

He said he understood it was proposed to fill in the hole at the Bag Lane site with the remaining sub-soil and waste from the washing operation.

"The only problem is that it will take three and a half years," said Cllr Wilkinson. "There will be a lot of noise and a lot of muck.

"Restoration is due to be completed by August and by the middle of next year we should have been seeing green trees. But by the time the planning application is submitted it could be the end of 1997 and Bag Lane is going to be left as hideous as it is now."

He said he was stunned when he heard of the plans because he was looking forward to the end of the operation and the area being reinstated. "We don't want another three years of this. No way are we going to tolerate any more muck, dust or noise."

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