WORK to restore three old coal mines across West Fife has been recognised by the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning.

Blights on the landscape caused by opencast works at Muirdean at Crossgates, Blair House at Oakley and St Ninians at Kelty have been transformed thanks to efforts led by Fife Council.

And local communities are benefiting from the work being done to bring the surrounding countryside back to life.

Convener of the South West Fife area committee, Councillor Alice McGarry, said: "It's great to see Fife's planning service being shortlisted for this excellent work.

"Opencast mining has had a devastating impact on our local environment and I know local people will join me in congratulating the council on the work that's being done to restore and enhance our beautiful landscape."

The council won a legal battle to secure a £3.1 million bond to restore Blair House, after Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance PLC withheld the money.

Operations at the site on the outskirts of Oakley ended in 2013 and the site became derelict after the Scottish Coal Company went into liquidation.

St Ninians was to be the home of a hugely ambitious landscaped art project, with the former opencast mine to be turned into a major tourist attraction.

World-renowned architect Charles Jencks was behind the multi-million pound plans and work started but could not be completed after the coal company went bust.

Hargreaves stepped in to complete restoration works, as they did at the Muirdean mine at Crossgates when owners ATH Resources went to the wall.