Director Shareholding

UK Coal PLC
11 March 2004


                                                                   11 March 2004

                                  UK COAL PLC

                 NOTIFICATION OF DIRECTORS' INTERESTS IN SHARES

UK COAL wishes to notify the following changes in directors' interests arising
out of the operation of its Bonus Share Matching Plan.

1. Bonus Share Matching Plan

Under the Bonus Share Matching Plan, executive directors are required to
purchase ordinary shares in the Company (Shares) with part of their annual
bonus. These Shares are held for each executive director by a nominee.
Participants are entitled to receive, after tax thereon, one additional Share
free of charge for every three Shares retained for three years.

On 10 March 2004 the following Shares were purchased, at an average price of
£1.43 per Share, with 50% of the following executive directors' bonuses for
2003. These Shares are held by Mourant & Co Trustees Limited (The Trustee of the
UK Coal Employee Share Trust) (the Trustee) as nominee for the individual
director concerned.

                  DIRECTOR                 SHARES PURCHASED
                  G A McPhie                         29,076
                  M Garness                          16,741
                  P S O'Brien                        17,365

In addition, the Trustee purchased on 10 March 2004 a further 21,061 Shares at
an average price of £1.43 per share to satisfy potential entitlements of these
executive directors to further Shares under this plan in three years' time. Each
of the executive directors named above is deemed for Companies Act purposes to
have an additional interest in all the further Shares purchased by the Trustee.

2. Resultant Interests in Shares

As a result of the transactions referred to above, the interests of the
executive directors named above in Shares (other than Shares to which they may
become entitled, subject to satisfaction of any relevant conditions, under the
Long Term Incentive Plan or the Bonus Share Matching Plan) are as follows:

                   DIRECTOR            INTERESTS IN SHARES
                   G A McPhie                      478,721
                   M Garness                       144,913
                   P S O'Brien                     398,304

In addition, the UK Coal Employee Share Trust holds a total of 117,645 Shares to
satisfy the cumulative potential entitlements of the executive directors named
above under the Bonus Share Matching Plan. Each of these executive directors is
deemed for Companies Act purposes to have an additional interest in all of these
further Shares held by the Trustee.

M Garness
Director and Company Secretary 11 March 2004



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