Fury over plans to build school on site of Six Bells mining disaster

Residents and relatives of the men killed in the Six Bells mining disaster are angry about council plans to build a school on the site of the former colliery, in Abertillery.

An underground explosion in June 1960 took the lives of 45 pitmen, who are now commemorated at the Six Bells site by a steel statue of a miner called Guardian.

More than 2,000 local residents have signed a petition to oppose the building of the primary school, fearing that its planned position next to the statue will restrict public access. But Blaenau Gwent council say it fully respects the significance of the memorial, and that the final design of the school will be sympathetic to the local environment.

If plans go ahead, the new school will be due to open in September 2017.