ALMOST 80 high-profile organisations have signed a letter to Boris Johnson protesting plans for a new Cumbrian coal mine.

Among the 79 groups who have written to the Prime Minister is leading conservation charity Friends of the Lake District.

The letter questions why Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, decided not to put the proposed mine near Whitehaven through a planning inquiry process.

Other organisations to sign the letter include CPRE - the countryside charity - Cumbria Wildlife Trust, and Greenpeace UK.

The letter reads: "We are writing to raise some very serious concerns about the decision to proceed with the Whitehaven coal mine in Cumbria.

"New jobs need to be created, including in renewable energy, energy efficiency and alternatives to using coking coal in the steel industry.

"The UK must lead the way with low-carbon technologies, rather than looking to the polluting industries of the past.

"It is crucial to support West Cumbria communities in their transition to genuinely sustainable employment."

The mine is expected to create 500 new jobs for the area - but Friends of the Lake District have claimed investing in green and low carbon energy industries in the region would provide "significantly more" employment opportunities."

Kate Willshaw, policy officer at Friends of the Lake District said: "It cannot be right that the birthplace of the conservation movement will be exporting its climate changing greenhouse gases right across the globe.

“We urge the Government to reconsider its position, and to put this planning decision through a Public Inquiry process in order to properly address the climate change issues.

"Making this decision at a national level would help to restore confidence in the UK Government’s climate leadership both internationally and at home.”

It follows a letter from former NASA scientist Dr James Hansen, who warned the Prime Minister he risked "humiliation" over the mine if he did not intervene.

Defending the plans, Copeland Mayor Mike Starkie said the coal would be necessary to create steel, which is vital for the construction of new energy green projects. He added that he believed the UK was "leading the way" on climate change internationally.

The letter, along with a full list of organisations that signed it, can be read on the CPRE website.