Director Shareholding

UK Coal PLC
3 April 2002

                                UK COAL PLC

                    NOTIFICATION OF DIRECTORS' INTERESTS

UK COAL wishes to notify the following changes in directors' interests arising
out of the operation of its Bonus Share Matching Plan.


1.         Bonus Share Matching Plan


Under the Bonus Share Matching Plan, executive directors are required to
purchase ordinary shares in the Company (Shares) with part of their annual
bonus.  These Shares are held in trust.  Participants are entitled to receive,
after tax thereon, one additional Share free of charge in return for every three
Shares left in trust for three years.  Entitlement to the additional Shares is
normally lost if the participant leaves the Company's employment.

On 3 April 2002 the following Shares were purchased, at a price of £1.02 per
Share, with 50% of each executive director's bonus for 2001.  These are held by
Mourant & Co Trustees Limited (The Trustee of UK COAL Employee Share Trust) (the
Trustee) as nominee for the director concerned.

                    DIRECTOR                    SHARES PURCHASED

                    G A McPhie                  41,471
                    M Garness                   22,004
                    P S O'Brien                 23,387


In addition, the Trustee purchased a further 27,633 Shares to satisfy potential
entitlements of executive directors to further Shares under this plan in three
years' time.  The above executive directors are deemed for The Companies Act
purposes to be interested in all the Shares held by UK COAL Employee Share
Trust.


2.            Resultant Interest in Shares


As a result of the transactions referred to above, the executive directors are
interested in the following Shares (excluding Shares to which they may become
entitled, subject to satisfaction of any relevant conditions, under the rules of
the Long Term Incentive Plan and Bonus Share Matching Plan):

       DIRECTOR                            TOTAL SHARE INTERESTS

       G A McPhie                                  130,258
       M Garness                                    99,008
       P S O'Brien                                 128,441


The UK COAL Employee Share Trust holds a total of 58,664 Shares, representing
0.04% of the Company's issued share capital (excluding the shares held as
nominees for executive directors under the Bonus Share Matching Plan).  The
executive directors are deemed for Companies Act purposes to be interested in
all the Shares held by UK COAL Employee Share Trust.


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