A book telling the story of the handful of Leicestershire miners who supported the year-long miners' strike of 1984-85 is out now.

Just 30 miners out of 2,500 in the county's coalfields went on strike in solidarity with colleagues in the National Union of Miners.

The Dirty Thirty, by David Bell, went on sale this week to mark the 25th anniversary of the strike.

The national strike saw 170,000 miners, plus their families, battle against the pit-closure programme of Margaret Thatcher's government.

David, 70, from Ashby, said: "The men were from pits in Bagworth, Ellistown and Whitwick, and travelled the world, selling badges, mugs and plates, and making speeches to support the other striking miners.

"I was a supporter and helped organise food collections for the families. You could say my book is thoroughly partisan, but I think what they did was very brave and their actions are worth remembering."

The book is available at bookshops across the district, priced at £7.99.