WELSH government ministers have welcomed a letter from Labour MP Beth Winter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appealing for Westminster government funding for coal tip safety work.

The Cynon Valley MP wrote to Mr Sunak after he failed to answer her at Prime Minister’s Questions last week.

Ms Winter asked whether the PM thought it was right that Britain received the economic benefit from Welsh coal, but would not cover the cost of making its legacy safe. 

Her letter quotes First Minister Mark Drakeford as saying: “A package of investment to remediate these sites will show how our two governments can work together for the communities we serve.”

Ms Winter urged Mr Sunak to use his position to ensure that Welsh Secretary David Davies and Wales’s Minister for Climate Change Julie James meet to discuss securing Treasury funding.

The Welsh government said: “The minister has made it clear that Welsh communities should not be expected to pick up the bill for the reclamation of coal tips and we welcome discussions with the UK government.”