Daw Mill mined a five-metre thick section of the
Warwickshire Coalfield (known as the
Warwickshire Thick) in the north of the county. It was owned and operated by
UK Coal and in 2008 employed 680 people.
The two shafts that served Daw Mill were first sunk between 1956 and 1959, and 1969 and 1971 respectively. The mine was a natural extension of the former collieries
Kingsbury Colliery and
Dexter Colliery, both of which have also closed. In 1983 an inclined tunnel linking underground workings with the surface was completed. This
drift mining enabled Daw Mill to increase its production capacity as it removed the often time-consuming process of winding coal up the shafts.
Daw Mill was the last surviving mine in a county that once had 20 operating collieries. In 2008 it excavated 3.25 million tons of coal, beating a 13-year-old record for annual output at a British coal mine set at
Selby in
North Yorkshire.
On 22 February 2013, a major fire broke out 500 metres (1,600 ft) underground, described as the worst underground blaze in Britain for 30 years. UK Coal and
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that 92 workers were safely extracted. As of 7 March 2013 the fire had still not been fully extinguished. It was initially estimated that remedial work to the colliery could take between three and six months, making a return to production subject to a further review, resulting in the possible immediate closure of the mine.
