A SURPRISE raid by about thirty environmental protestors closed down the Ravenstruther opencast coal rail depot for several hours on Monday.
Their action, which included several protestors chaining themselves to gates and equipment, came on the eve of an expected go-ahead for even more opencast mining development in Clydesdale.
Six persons, three men and three women, were arrested an
d were due to appear at Lanark Sheriff Court on Tuesday.
It is understood that the demonstration was conducted in a civilised manner and none of the charges relate to any acts of violence; no protestors or police officers were hurt during the protest, the atmosphere of which was described by a British Transport Police spokesman as "peaceful and polite" throughout.
The eight hour long action, which was broken up by a very heavy police presence with officers armed with chain cutting equipment, was not directly centred on Tuesday's expected go-ahead by South Lanarkshire Council for extensions to the Glentaggart opencast mine, which will bring workings closer to the community of Glespin.
A spokeswoman for protest organisers, Coal Action Scotland, Tilly Gifford, told the Gazette - as the police moved in to break up the demonstration on Monday morning - that the protest had been mainly prompted by a government policy statement on Friday, announcing the building of new coal-fired power stations.
Tilly said: "If they do this they've no chance of hitting their stated targets for lowering carbon emissions.
This is step backwards, not forwards.
This is not only a cheap and nasty solution to the country's power needs but also a short-sighted one.
"We see the current financial crisis as an opportunity for a proper look to be taken at the country's future power industry, not just burning more and more coal."
She said that the protestors taking part in the action included local veteran anti-opencast protestors as well as Coal Action Scotland members from throughout the country.
The Ravenstruther raid started at 6am, the protestors stating that every hour it kept the depot closed was a bonus for the environment.
They quickly erected a 15 foot high scaffolding 'teepee' on the access road for coal trucks, blocking it; some chained themselves by their necks to a bulldozer and conveyor belt to ensure loading operations stayed at a standstill for several hours.
One local resident and environmentalist, Rebecca Mackenzie, said on Monday: "We're here today to send a clear message that we don't want South Lanarkshire to become the most heavily-mined area in Europe, as they will if permission is granted for all the new opencast mines currently being proposed.
"If sites such as Mainshill near Douglas can't be stopped through legal avenues, then action will have to be taken to make sure these last remaining areas of un-mined countryside aren't destroyed."
Perched on the protestor's metal `teepee', campaigner Beth Whelan said: "Local authorities, the Scottish Government and companies are ignoring the scientific evidence on climate change.
"We have to take responsibility for our climate and our future and stop the coal industry and its expansion. This is what we are doing today; acting responsibly."
