Britain goes full week without coal power

Britain has gone a full week without using any electricity generated by the burning of coal for the first time since 1882, according to the National Grid.

In a tweet earlier last week, the National Grid announced it had broken the record, with a solar, gas and nuclear recording the single largest contributors to the national power grid.

Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her delight with the news, describing the announcement as a milestone in the Government’s transition to renewable power.

"I am proud that Britain has gone a record week without using coal to generate power," Mrs May said in a tweet.

"Our investment in greener forms of energy is reducing emissions and ensuring we leave our planet in a better state for the next generation.”

More recently, the National Grid announced it has continued its zero coal run, extending it to 110 hours.