 On December 11, 1981, Bedlay Colliery was closed by the then Conservative government and was left abandoned until 1982 when it was filled in (or "capped") and the complex demolished.Post-closure, in the 1990s, the land on which Bedlay Colliery sat on (owned by the National Coal Board) underwent an operation to restore the ground to what it looked like before the colliery was sunk.This operation is still underway.