Environmental campaigners have launched legal bids against the UK government's approval of the nation's first new coal mine in decades, they said on Monday citing climate change fears.

The project, located in Cumbria in northwest England, has long faced opposition from activists who argue it contradicts Britain's pledge to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Friends of the Earth said it filed legal paperwork at the High Court in London on Friday.

Another charity, South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC), said separately it has filed legal papers at the High Court in Manchester.

The UK granted planning permission on December 7 for the project, which is being led by Australian-owned West Cumbria Mining.

That decision came after the government had announced an inquiry into the mine, to be located near the town of Whitehaven, on the edge of the Lake District National Park.

The government said the mine will produce coal to be used to make steel, not generate power, and insisted that its commitment to phase out coal power by 2024 remains in place.

But environmental groups argue that the decision, announced by senior minister Michael Gove, undermines the UK's policy.

"Planning to open a new coal mine in the middle of a climate emergency is unthinkable," said Friends of the Earth campaigner Tony Bosworth.

The UK government argues that the project will create over 500 local jobs and will seek to be net zero in its operations.

Britain aims to become carbon neutral by 2050.

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Last activists leave German village as coal pit expansion rolls on
Lutzerath, Germany (AFP) Jan 16, 2023
The last two climate activists occupying a western German village to stop it making way for a coal mine extension left their underground hideout on Monday, marking the end of the police operation to evict them. Already abandoned by its original residents, Luetzerath has become a symbol for resistance against fossil fuels. Around 300 activists occupied the village, staking out emptied building and building positions in the trees, to try to prevent the expansion of the adjacent Garzweiler open-ca ... read more