High Court judge David Holgate said previous Conservative government's original decision to grant permission for the Whitehaven mine in Cumbria, northwest England, was "legally flawed".

The new Labour government had already withdrawn its support for the mine and the project now faces further uncertainty after the ruling in favour of environmental groups that brought the case.

Niall Toru, senior lawyer with "Friends of the Earth", one of the groups bringing the legal action, called it "fantastic news and a huge victory".

"This mine should never have been given permission in the first place... it would have huge climate impacts," he said.

He called on the mine developer, West Cumbria Mining Limited (WCM), to withdraw its application.

Lawyers for WCM argued during the case that the mine would have a "broadly neutral effect on the global release of greenhouse gas".

But Holgate rejected the claim, saying: "The assumption that the proposed mine would not produce a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions, or would be a net zero mine, is legally flawed."

jwp/phz/giv

WHITEHAVEN COAL

WCM BETEILIGUNGS- UND GRUNDBESITZ-AG