Residents breathed a huge sigh of relief today after plans to mine coal under their village were scuppered by Mother Nature.

RJB Mining chiefs announced they were abandoning their tunnelling plans under Naburn, near York, because of a severe geological fault, which has made the coal uneconomic to mine.

Villagers, who are still recovering from November's floods, feared that subsidence would make their homes even more vulnerable to flooding, and were looking at mounting a legal challenge under the European Convention on Human Rights.

But their campaign has now been put on hold after RJB bosses said their mining operations from Stillingfleet Mine would now stop south of the village.

They said the coalface that was to have been worked under Naburn and the River Ouse would be "cut short" because of a massive fault in the underground strata, which had displaced coal measures by between three and 15 metres.

The news was given to villagers at a special meeting last night.

RJB spokesman Stuart Oliver said today: "While it is possible to mine through the fault, doing so on this occasion cannot be justified because of the costs of recovering a relatively small amount of coal."

Seismic surveys on land approaching the village revealed the faulting - supported by evidence of geological disturbance in a coalface being prepared for production.

It was thought the fault was further to the east.

RJB now says that subsidence on the edge of the river is likely to be zero and only a few inches in the middle of the village, while land on the outskirts of Naburn will only be lowered by a maximum of six inches.

Parish councillor Laura Hanson, a member of Naburn Action Group, said today: "We have been saved by Mother Nature, and feel reassured and very relieved.

Updated: 14:17 Wednesday, February 07, 2001