A YOUNG family's dream move to Varteg has been shattered by plans to build an open-cast mine on their doorstep.

Rhian Parfitt and her partner Ian Whittaker bought their house on Pembroke Terrace attracted by the area's peace and quiet.

Now they fear for their children's health if the renewed plans for a mine just 200 metres from their house are given the go-ahead.

When the couple moved into the house three years ago with their children Ellie, 10, Callum, 8, and three-year-old Izabelle, a search for any future mining plans came up with a blank.

But renewed plans for the mine have now been submitted by Glamorgan Power.

The plans include environmental impact assessments that show Pembroke Terrace and Salisbury Terrace will suffer dust and noise levels above those stated in Assembly guidelines.

If the plans are given the go-ahead by Torfaen Council later this year, the family fears their home will be blighted by the open-cast mine.

Ms Parfitt said: “We’re worried about the children’s health because they’ll have to grow up with the noise and dust.

“We moved here from Cwmbran because there’s a massive garden and lovely quiet surroundings but if the plans go ahead the children are not going to be able to go out to play.

“I’m not even going to be able to hang washing on the line and if the children go out playing they’ll come back covered in dust.

“We’ve thought about moving - even the kids themselves are worried about it.”

When the family bought their terraced house Mr Whittaker, who runs his own bathroom tiling business, stripped it back to the stone and did all the work himself to create their family home.

He said: “When we were buying the house the mining plans came up on no searches - if it had we wouldn’t have bothered.

“The value of our house is going to go right down because we can’t sell it or rent it because nobody is going to want to live next to an open-cast mine.

“I don’t know how they’re getting away with it - my main concern is for the children’s health and whether there’ll be plumes of dust flying everywhere.”

Bernard Llewellyn, managing director of mining firm Glamorgan Power, was unavailable to comment at this time.

The council says the application will be determined later in the year.