Derelict land in England with the equivalent area of 4,500 football pitches has been put back into use in the past ten years, according to new research.

Former coalfield areas around the country have also helped generate over 16,000 jobs, it was announced at the sixth National Coalfield Conference in Rotherham. This equates to four jobs per day since the late 1990s.

Ten years of work by the National Coalfield Programme and Coalfield Regeneration Trust has also helped convert twice the area of Trafalgar Square every day into office space.

Deprived areas of England thrown into poverty by the collapse of the coal industry have been turned around by ten years of work and government investment to the tune of £374 million, speakers at the conference revealed.

"The transformation of many of our coalfield areas has been dramatic," said housing minister Yvette Cooper. "When the pits were closed many coalfield communities saw soaring unemployment and their communities were devastated.

"Now, thanks to coalfield regeneration, the jobs are coming back. Many former miners have had training to get new jobs and whole communities are being revived."

Additional funding of £20 million to regenerate six sites around the country was also confirmed at the Rotherham conference this week.

"Today six more sites, from Kent to Tyneside, will now become part of our regeneration programme and a further £20 million is going directly to the communities who need it most," Ms Cooper explained.

By 2012, the government hopes to have brought 4,000 hectares of derelict land back into use, creating 2,000,000 square metres of office space, 8,000 new homes and establishing 42,000 new jobs.