Solicitors were furious this week as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) removed 100 firms from its list of approved law firms for mining claims.

Three firms contacted by the Gazette - Harvey Ingram Owston in Leicester, Ingrams in York and Hull and Birchall Blackburn in Preston - said they were shocked to appear on the blacklist of firms.

The DTI confirmed it has been contacted by a 'small number of firms' that believe they have been included in error and it will be distributing a new list this week after looking into each case.

It has already issued an apology to Ingrams, which it admits was included by mistake.

Ingrams partner Paul Stott said: 'We were horrified to learn through an article in the Yorkshire Post that we had been dropped from the approved list when we should not have been, because we have never charged clients anything extra.

We are dealing with more than 8,000 claims and this was potentially very damaging for us.'

He added: 'All the DTI has given us as an explanation is that there was an "administrative error".'

Birchall Blackburn partner Moira Boyce said: 'The first we knew about this was when our local radio station told us we were on the list.

We are very, very unhappy - we do not even know who made the final decision or on what basis.

'This makes us look as though we have done something dishonest, when nothing could be further from the truth.

We are looking for an apology, and we hope that there has not been too much damage done.'

Harvey Ingram Owston's senior partner Phillip Lane said: 'We are extremely concerned at any inference that Harvey Ingram Owston may have been involved in overpayment for work undertaken in relation to coal health compensation.

This is quite clearly not the case.

'We have requested a correction...

and the removal of our name from the list of solicitors.

We expect this to happen very quickly as we take a most serious view of the matter.'

Nigel Griffiths, minister for coal health claims, wrote to solicitors in December and February inquiring whether they had charged additional fees for handling successful cases - and warning them that such overpayments must be refunded.

Solicitors who did not respond, refused to refund overpayments or did not wish to feature on the Web site of approved suppliers were put on the list of 100 firms.

Ingrams, Harvey Ingram Owston and Birchall Blackburn maintain that they did respond to confirm that they had not received overpayments.

Rachel Rothwell