THE former curators of Lancashire Mining Museum say Fred Dibnah's working mine shaft must be given the go-ahead -- as a memorial to the hundreds of Bolton men who died while mining.

Former industrial history curators of the mining museum in Salford, Richard Bradbury, Alan Frost, Geoff Preece and Alan Davies, say the decision to block the mineshaft plan in Fred's garden is "short-sighted and insensitive".

They say blocking the celebrity steeplejack's plan is dismissive of the Bolton miners who gave their lives in boosting Lancashire's industrial importance.

And unsurprisingly, Fred agrees, saying part of the town's history will be "lost forever" without the small-scale pit he has built in his back garden.

The four curators worked at the Salford museum from the late 1950s through to its closure in 2000. The group say the small-scale but highly accurate project would serve as an appropriate outlet to teach younger generations about the industry.

Fred has lodged an appeal against a decision by Bolton Council's planning committee to refuse the mine.

Around two-thirds of the 20-member committee voted against the plans after hearing of residents' fears that they would be swamped with visitors.

But Fred has refused to give up on his labour of love and has vowed to fight on.

Mr Bradbury, who also worked at Bolton museum and now lives in Cumbria, said: "Fred Dibnah's venture to replicate the atmosphere of a coal mine really must be acclaimed.

"Apart from being an accurate working model of an early mining pithead, the structure acts as an important memorial to those who died in the mines.

"No one has done more to remind the public of Bolton's industrial history and least of all its once large coal industry than Fred.

"It's time to reverse the current trend local authorities have of conveniently deleting their industrial past from memory as though they are embarrassed by it."

Fred, aged 65, says there were originally 24 mine shafts within half-a-mile of his home on Radcliffe Road, The Haulgh.

He describes his plan, which has attracted support from all over the world, as "quite sane and not a danger to anybody."

He added: "I've had children coming to my home to learn about the town's past. How can that be causing a problem?

"Hundreds of men were involved in Bolton's mining history and it is something which is in danger of being wiped out.

"We'll have a town full of people only interested in the television soon.

"I hope the council see sense."