AN ABERYSTWYTH farmer was among Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists who were convicted for aggravated trespass during a protest against a new coal mining licence.

Activist Sahrah Wilding, aged 56, was found guilty of the offence at Swansea Magistrates Court last Thursday (20 April) after occupying Aberpergwm colliery in the Vale of Neath, south Wales, last July.

XR says the ‘peaceful action’ aimed to highlight a new UK Coal Authority licence to extract an extra 40 million tonnes of the fossil fuel at the mine - which wasn’t in operation at the time of the protest.

Ms Wilding was one of five other activists to be arrested out of 60 protesting at the site. The judge fined the five a combined total of £5,537.

Ms Wilding said: “Both the Welsh government and the UK government claim it is not their responsibility, but expansion of the mine means that neither can meet their commitment to the (UN Climate Change Conference) Paris Agreement.... If governments refuse to protect us from harm, then it’s up to all of us to hold them to account. We have a proud tradition of mining in Wales, and our workers sacrificed so much for the prosperity of the nation. But now we have to move away from fossil fuels in order to prevent catastrophic collapse. I hope our action will lead to the licence being cancelled.”

The plans to expand the coal mine were approved in January last year, just weeks after the UK hosted climate conference COP 26 in Glasgow and former prime minister Boris Johnson announced the ‘death knell for coal’.

The UK Government, which has oversight over the Coal Authority which licenses new mines, refuses to take responsibility for the decision and blames the Welsh Government. Senedd ministers claim existing devolution powers provide no route for them to veto the decision.

A judicial review challenge against the decision is pending.