OPENCAST giant, Hargreaves has announced that its site near New Cumnock is to be its only remaning operational.

House of Water has been earmarked as one of just seven Scottish sites that will continue producing coal after the Durham-based firm announced its plans to halt production at six of its opencasts.

The BBC reported the news of the decision to stop production at six sites due to a fall in coal and gas prices this week

But the Chronicle can reveal that it is the House of Water site which has been earmarked as the only Hargreaves-owned opencast in Scotland to continue processing coal beyond this summer.

A Hargreaves spokesperson said: "We have invested significantly in a single location for coal processing and preparation at Killoch, Ayrshire. Each associated surface mine will feed coal into Killoch until economic reserves at each are exhausted. It is likely that beyond summer 2016 this will mean that only House of Water will remain as an operational coal site with all other sites moved into their restoration phase.

"Restoration will be completed in line with our planning conditions at each location and compliance will be overseen by the local authority."

That means that production at the Duncanziemere site near Logan, Netherton near Skares and Glenmuckloch near Kirkconnel will halt and both will be moved in to their restoration phase along with Broken Cross in South Lanarkshire and Muir Dean and St Ninians in Fife.

See next week's Chronicle for more.