The ex-miners are eligible for payments from a $12.7 billion compensation fund set up by the British Government and mining unions.
According to a report by the New Zealand Herald, Melbourne lawyers acting for the former miners living in Australia and New Zealand said 2500 of them had lodged claims. However the lawyers said as many as 2500 ex-miners may be unaware they are eligible for payouts.
To qualify, miners must have worked after 1954 in England and Wales or after 1949 in Scotland and be suffering from respiratory conditions such as chronic bronchitis, small airways disease and asthma, or from heart conditions related to respiratory problems.
Families of miners who have died from their conditions are also eligible to claim.
Lawyer Rohan Atherton told ABC News if a claim was successful the British Coal Ward would pay the legal fees as well as their compensation and if they don't succeed in the claim, Ryan Carlisle and Thomas was not charging any of the miners legal fees.
