Back in May 1993, Easington Colliery closed and 1,400 workers lost their jobs.
It brought an end to a 94-year history of mining in the County Durham community – and its main source of employment had gone.
Let’s look back on Easington pit and the pictures of an industry which shaped the village for decades.
5. Making their vote
Miners at Easington Colliery cast their votes for strike action on their way from the pit head to the baths at the end of their shift in 1974. Photo: Sunderland Echo
6. Industry among the beauty
Easington Colliery in May 1993, the very month it closed forever. Photo: Sunderland Echo
7. The picket line
Pickets on duty at Easington Colliery in March 1984. Photo: Sunderland Echo
8. An industrial view
How the pit looked in March 1975. Did you work there? Photo: Sunderland Echo
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