Families' 15-year wait for mine deaths inquest

Families of the four miners who died in a south Wales colliery disaster 13 years ago will have to wait until 2026 for answers into what happened.

Charles Breslin, 62, David Powell, 50, Phillip Hill, 44, and Garry Jenkins, 39, died when water flooded the Gleision drift mine near Cilybebyll, Neath Port Talbot, on 15 September 2011.

The disaster happened after routine blasting when thousands of gallons of water flooded a tunnel where seven miners were working - three managed to escape.

After a protracted battle, families were told in 2022 that a full inquest into their deaths would be held, but a pre-inquest hearing in Swansea’s Guildhall was told it would not be until "the early part of 2026".

The hearing was told there was "significant complexity" surrounding the documents needed.

Christian Howells representing the families, said the Coal Authority "believes there are 75,000 pages of written material" - five times greater than estimated.

The tragedy occurred when 650,000 gallons flooded the mine where the men were working after a controlled explosion to improve air circulation.

A desperate two-day rescue effort to save the four trapped men attracted rolling news coverage around the world, but ultimately, it proved fruitless.

John Kelvin-Davies, the brother-in-law of Mr Powell, said families were hopeful they would get answers about what happened which "will be a big relief for the families".

"We’ve got another two years before we have the inquest, but there is light at the end of the tunnel," he added.

Lee Reynolds, a former surveyor of the Gleision mine, said there was now "some kind of end in sight" for families who have been chasing answers.

"Life for the families is somewhat still on hold, which is compounding the matter. It’s moving now and there are very positive indications from the coroner," he said.

Mavis Breslin, widow of Mr Breslin, said she was "grateful" things were moving forward.

"Fifteen years later, I’ve been beginning to wonder if I will survive to see the end of the inquest, at my age," she said.

Speaking at the pre-inquest hearing, coroner Edward Ramsay said the approach to the full inquest would be "full, fair and fearless".

"I can reassure families there’ll be nothing cheap about this investigation," he added.

"These inquests need a forensic and laser-like focus and what needs answering here is where the water came from and whether someone knew it was there."

He added that he was "determined to get to the bottom on whether these documents can assist in answering fully how these men tragically died".

Nicholas Moss KC, advising the coroner, said three junior counsels had been appointed to help with the volume of documents .

The hearing was told there were also delays with the inquest because of a personal connection with the previous coroner and a family member of an interested party.

There was also criticism of the initial investigation that took place immediately after the incident, the hearing was also told, which Mr Moss said was "a thorny issue".

He also said the coroner would consider the motivation of those involved in the post-incident investigations and whether there had been "a deliberate attempt to cover up what had happened".

It has not yet been decided whether the inquest will be led by a judge, which the families of the dead men have called for, given the complexity, history and public interest surrounding the incident.

The Coal Authority, now known as the Mining Remediation Authority, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) were against the idea of it being led by a judge, while owners MNS Mining Ltd, South Wales Police and Neath Port Talbot council are neutral on the issue.

Further pre-inquest review hearings will be held in 2025, prior to the full inquest in 2026.