A VETERAN anti-open-cast mining campaigner is blasting plans for a 350,000-tonne operation in north Torfaen.

Former miner Des Williams is determined to fight a proposed opencast mine, believing it will lead to the hillside in the heart of Blaenavon's World Heritage site being torn open.

Glamorgan Power, the company behind the proposal, has promised to restore the slopes of the Mynydd Farteg to a "high standard".

But Mr Williams, 82, said he still has concerns, adding: "I was born in Blaenavon, and I've lived here all my life. If I can do anything to save it from opencast mining, I will."

The company also plans to build 64 houses on part of the reclaimed land, which is close to Pembroke Terrace and Salisbury Terrace.

A spokesman said Glamorgan Power had "no intention at all" of mining further up the valley.

The operation would last up to six years, with a maximum excavation depth of five feet.

Around 50 lorries a day would travel along the B4246 Varteg to Blaenavon road. A planning application is expected by January.

"My message to the people of Varteg is don't trust what's being said about the landscaping - it's not that easy to find 300,000 tonnes of soil," said Mr Williams, a miner for 16 years, and chief fire officer of Blaenavon for 25 years.

"Lorries will be going up Church Road in Blaenavon every day. Apart from the safety, there's the pollution, and constant shuddering, which will cause cracks in the buildings," he added.

A Torfaen council spokesman said: "We can't stop applications being submitted - but if we did receive one for opencast mining in the World Heritage site we would have major concerns."

Mr Williams, who lives in Mary Street with his wife, Audrey, 77, took part in a successful campaign against a massive British Coal proposal in 1992, which would have ripped apart the mountainside at Pwllddu.

"There would have been no World Heritage status if that had gone ahead," he said.

Mr Williams fears an application could be lodged to use the cheaper opencast method and recover an estimated three million tonnes of coal. He added: "World Heritage has vastly improved - house prices are going up and Blaenavon is really thriving. I am determined to fight to keep the hillside the way it is."