“Coming here is always a very impressive experience, it’s hard to believe it’s all happening down there. They are the forgotten workforce, that’s why I was so anxious to say that publicly.”

A team of 50 work over three shifts, 24-hours a day, to produce 30,000 tonnes a week. Five hundred tonnes of rock salt can be mined per hour but what is produced in 12 hours, takes a further 12 hours to get to the surface and onto the trucks.

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After last year’s salt shortage, council’s were advised to stock up on a minimum six-day supply, but (Salt Union mine manager) Gordon (Dunn) said many did not do this.

He said: “I’m not sure that everybody took the obligation. Some of the councils were very proactive, Lancashire in particular which had 50 days worth before Christmas and they are ok.

“But others were only just getting their orders in before Christmas. All councils have been told to cut costs and they have been doing it by cutting back on salt.”