Hundreds of Flintshre and Wrexham miners and their families could be in line for windfalls of up to £25k after being short-changed twice by different legal firms over compensation payouts.

Big law firms profited from claims by injured pitmen, representing them for a host of industrial ilnesses, such as vibration white finger.

But after they were exposed for withholding monies the miners then signed up with new companies to help them recover the owed monies.

Now in a cruel twist of fate it has emerged some of these other firms have also left miners thousands of pounds out of pocket by failing to properly investigate their claims.

Former miners from the Point of Ayr Colliery in Flintshire and Wrexham’s Bersham Colliery are said to be affected.

The scandal was uncovered by mining legal expert Robert Godfrey, a partner in professional negligence at Simpson Millar solicitors, who has set up a specialist unit to help miners who were swindled.

David Hanson, MP for Delyn, urged miners and their families who may have been affected to seek help and advice.

He said: “I want miners to get support. It is vital that what is due is paid to those miners entitled to funding.

“The Labour government made good its promise to compensate mine workers across the UK.

“But this latest revelation that there are items that can be claimed is a concern. This money was intended for miners not for claims companies or third parties.”

Ian Lucas, MP for Wrexham, said: “I am very concerned about anybody exploiting the distress and illness of others.

“As a former solicitor, I have been very uneasy for some time about the effect of cases like these and the way that vulnerable people can be targeted by others.

“I remain concerned, and the news that former miners seeking help with their illnesses could have been affected more than once in very similar circumstances should lead to questions being asked of those who administer these schemes.”

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones – whose grandfather was a miner at Bersham Colliery – encouraged any ex-miners and their families in the area who think they may be affected to come forward.

She said: “It is now more than 30 years since Bersham Colliery closed and a certain proportion of former colliers at the mine have now sadly passed away.

“But I believe that any affected constituents should investigate the possibility of any owed monies – and would gladly assist them if they would like me to do so.”

Under the 1999 Labour government coal miners compensation scheme, over 170,000 miners are believed to have been paid compensation for the condition vibration white finger suffered at work.

Sufferers have permanent debilitating joint and muscle damage caused by working with vibrating hand-held machinery.

A large number of miners from the area suffered injuries working in the Point of Ayr mine, which closed in the 1990s, and later made injury compensation claims.

Some lawyers involved in the claims have since been struck off by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for misleading their clients.

Now other firms who took on miners’ cases to sue their original solicitors are also facing legal action from their own clients after failing to properly investigate their claims.

Robert Godfrey of Simpson Millar solicitors said many ex-miners had been under-compensated for the ‘services’ they could no longer provide for their families, such as gardening, car-washing, window-cleaning and DIY and also loss of earnings.

Individual claims range from a few thousand pounds up to £25,000 for younger victims, who would receive the annual payment for longer.

Robert said: “These miners have been let down from start to finish. It’s scandalous that people can be treated in such a way. These were hardworking men who should have been looked after, not taken advantage of.

“We estimate there are hundreds of miners and their families in Flintshire and Wales who have been short-changed.

“I have heard of individual miners and their families who have been badly let down by professionals, by people they put their faith and trust in.

“It is clear from speaking with miners that they didn’t understand the compensation scheme and more importantly what they were entitled to claim.

“They received little advice and few of these clients ever saw their legal representative.”

One large legal firm which had been facing a rash of professional negligence claims from miners for mishandling their original claims - have now placed themselves into administration.

The firm represented miners in their claims for compensation totalling tens of millions over work-related injuries, but were criticised for claiming back legal fees from miners where fees were paid by the Government.