Cumbria coalmine was unlawfully approved, government says

Lawyers acting for minister say emissions of coal extracted from mine should have been taken into account

The government has admitted that a proposed coalmine in Cumbria was approved unlawfully, as the carbon emissions of coal from the mine should have been taken into account in the planning decision.

This follows a precedent set by a supreme court judgment last month, when Surrey county council's decision to extend planning permission for an oil drilling well at Horse Hill, on the Weald, was quashed.