Incredible pictures show what life was like during the last years of Yorkshire's mines

Martyn Pitt took photographs of colliers as they toiled on the face and underground, creating a collection of images which is now on show at the National Coal Mining Museum for England in Wakefield.

The show opened at the weekend and is a major new exhibition celebrating the work and career of Mr Pitt who documented the work as the industry’s photographer.

Retiring in 2012 after over 30 years behind the lens, Mr Pitt’s expansive portfolio chronicles the development and decline of the industry.

The exhibition focusses primarily on his underground photography, giving visitors a peek into the hidden world hundreds of feet below our feet.

As the national photographer for the coal industry, the exhibition examines Mr Pitt’s role and responsibilities in documenting the conditions, practices, and stories of the last years of coal mining.

The Museum acquired Mr Pitt’s image archive in 2014 which spans the period of privatisation between 1994-2012 and includes film negatives and digital photographs, taken whilst working for British Coal, RJB Mining and UK Coal.

His work was used to illustrate mining reviews, safety posters, newspapers and much more.

These images equate to the sole visual record of mining during that period.

Visitors can expect to see a range of photographs, from dramatic and immersive underground shots of machinery in action, to the camaraderie – and often humour – of the miners that powered an industry.

Coalfields across the country are featured in the exhibition, from Kellingley to Daw Mill, Welbeck to Ellington, Point of Ayr to the Forest of Dean.

This exhibition is the first major showing of Mr Pitt’s legacy of work.

Mark Carlyle, Curator of Industry, said the images are unusual.

He said: “We are excited to be celebrating the work of Martyn Pitt, showcasing his career in underground photography through our new exhibition.

"These photographs are truly unique in that they offer visitors an insight into the working conditions of modern coal mines over the last thirty years”.

The show runs until February 18. Admission is free. For more information, visit the website: www.ncm.org.uk/martyn-pitt.