Overview of Rugeley

Rugeley is an historic market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the northern edge of Cannock Chase, and is situated roughly midway between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield and Uttoxeter. The population as at the 2001 census was 22,724. The town was a centre of coal mining until 1991, when the Lea Hall Colliery was demolished. The Rugeley B coal-fired power station dominates the skyline where a flue gas desulphurisation plant has been constructed. This will allow it to continue to generate electricity and comply with environmental legislation. The former Rugeley A station took its fuel directly from the neighbouring mine by conveyor belt (this is a disputed fact as the mines coal was of poor quality). This was the first such arrangement in Britain. It is twinned with Western Springs, Illinois in the United States.