UK Coal copped the lion’s share of the fines, being ordered to pay £200,000 .

Joy was fined £50,000 and must also pay £100,000 costs.

It was established an error on the part of Joy resulted in failure to communicate intelligence that a machine identical to the one that crushed Cameron had displayed a similar fault a year earlier.

Both companies were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday after admitting contravening the Health and Safety at Work Act at earlier hearings.

Miner Cameron, 46, was killed after a poorly maintained machine faulted and crushed him against two feet of broken stone debris, deep underground the Kellingley colliery in north Yorkshire, northern England.

It later emerged a valve in a powered roof support had become worn and defective.

The latest rap for UK Coal follows a previous court order to pay a combined £1.2 million in fines and costs, following similar health and safety breaches in different areas of the country in which four other workers lost their lives in 2006 and 2007.

“Cameron died as a result of his injuries when a powered roof support lowered spontaneously, crushing him against large amounts of debris that had accumulated within the walkway of the machine,” Leeds Crown Court prosecutor Rex Tedd said, according to the Yorkshire Post.

“A solenoid valve within the powered roof support had become worn and defective.

“The result was that hydraulic fluid was able to pass under pressure through a valve and cause the powered roof support canopy to descend without the control button being pressed.”

Speaking outside court after the hearing, Cameron’s widow Carol said: “I would like to thank the Health and Safety Executive for bringing both UK Coal and Joy Mining Machinery to court to answer for their part in the death of my loving husband Ian.”

“I also want to thank the National Union of Mineworkers for their support and guidance during what has been a very harrowing time for me and my family,” she said.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, HSE principal inspector of mines Paul Bradley said: “HSE brought this case because of the serious failings uncovered during investigations.”

“This is the fifth prosecution we have had to take against UK Coal in the last five years involving the deaths of five miners, each under very tragic circumstances,” he said.

“Our testing after the incident showed that the defective solenoid caused the powered roof support to lower without warning and it most likely happened when hydraulic pressure was restored after a trip to the system.

“There were also a significant number of safety defects on other powered roof supports and commissioning checks on them had not been fully carried out.

“UK Coal disregarded the numerous warnings and frequent failures of the powered roof support and failed to take effective measures to ensure the debris was removed and the walking track kept clear.”

Kellingley is one of the UK’s deepest remaining mines.