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Hundreds of eco-activists have descended on Merthyr Tydfil as they prepare to occupy the UK’s largest opencast coal mine.

Protestors set up camp on Saturday, erecting tents and setting up compost toilets, four marquees and a wind turbine near Ffos-y-fran mine.

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Members of activist group Reclaim the Power are campaigning against climate change, with a focus on the site.

A shuttle bus ferried activists from Merthyr Tydfil train station at around midday on Saturday while a coach from London arrived, delivering 50 passengers from as far away as the Netherlands and France.

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The numbers are expected to swell to over 500 people in the next few days as activists prepare to occupy the mine on May 4.

Local residents have campaigned against coal dust and noise from Ffos-y-fran mine for years.

Chris Austin, secretary of United Valleys Action Group Merthyr, said: “Me and my wife live 300 metres from the mine and have been campaigning against it since 2008.

“We were fighting a lonely battle and it felt like we were a voice in the wilderness until this protest.

“I am over the moon that the protest is here, it’s brought together a range of activists all under the umbrella of Reclaim the Power.

“We are thinking globally but acting locally, we want more local people to understand what is happening here.”

Mr Austin, 60, said the mine operates from seven in the morning until 11 at night meaning local residents can only get eight hours sleep, because of the noise.

Read more:Parent company of Ffos-y-fran opencast mine sold - but it's business as usual

Several Merthyr residents at the protest complained about coal dust which comes from the mine and sometimes causes laundry to turn black.

Gareth Blake, one of the Merthyr residents at the event said: “I have friends who live at the bottom of the mine who seal their houses to keep out the dust.

“They were in the kitchen a couple of weeks ago and a massive storm of coal dust just hit them.

“It’s devastating to see in my home town, I used to climb on what is now the coal mine.

“When they got planning permission for the mine, we were not organised as a community, but we are now.”

Mr Blake said he hoped the company owning the mine, Miller Argent, would close it within six months because of the pressure.

Patrick Smith, one of the five volunteer chefs at the camp, said: “It’s my 60th birthday today but I decided to be here instead of at home with my family.

Read more:AMs support calls for open-cast mining moratorium

“I’m here so my 30-year-old son and his daughter have a chance to see their 60th birthday.

“We are here to empower the local community who have been fighting this mine for years.

“We also hope the protest will make the government pause and think about climate change.”

Over 4,500 meals are expected to be served by the camp kitchen over the next few days.

The meals will all be vegan and free with offerings such as Dhal, vegetarian sausage and mash and Mezza.

There will be a range of workshops and discussions at the camp and training sessions in preparation for the “mass trespass” action taking place in the mine on Tuesday.

On Sunday, the group is hosting a community celebration it is calling “Solidarity Sunday”.

Miller Argent could not be contacted on Saturday.

Speaking last week, Neil Brown, managing director of the company, said: “Our main concern is for the safety of our employees, the protestors and the emergency services.

“Supporting the steel industry, affordable electricity and climate change are all important issues. What we need is a sensible debate that supports jobs in Wales. Welsh coal is an important part of this.”