LightlessLantern

Item No: SCP-5823
Containment Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: Access to SCP-5823 is to only be allowed during the brief period of inactivity per 24-hour-period. The existence of SCP-5823 is to be removed from the historical record with the assistance of the British Occult Service. Any changes in SCP-5823-1 activity are to be reported to the British Occult Service and Site-26 simultaneously.
All flesh produced by SCP-5823 is to be transported to Site-26 for genetic testing and subsequent incineration. Any coal produced is to be transported to coal-fired power stations, with its origin altered to a non-anomalous coal mine.
Following Incident-5823-29, all people who served as a Conservative Member of Parliament between 1981 and 1987 are to be monitored for potential anomalous activity.
Description: SCP-5823 is the former Penrith Dell coal mine located in Cumbria, England. SCP-5823-1 instances are 630 large, headless humanoid creatures partially embedded in the walls of the mine. These instances obey a strict 24 hour cycle, of which 23 hours are spent attempting to extract coal and 1 hour is spent in a state of inactivity. SCP-5823-1 instances are believed to have extracted coal through the use of large scythes fused with their forearms in place of hands. Due to the exhaustion of the coal seam, SCP-5823-1 instances use their scythes to carve large portions of their flesh from their bodies. The excised flesh is deposited on several conveyer belts and taken to the surface. The resulting wounds quickly heal over the course of 5 minutes.
History: SCP-5823 was originally built in 1947, quickly becoming the largest and most profitable mine owned by the Whitecliff Collieries Group. When Whitecliff Colliers declared bankruptcy in 1978, SCP-5823 was officially shut down. Despite this, SCP-5823 continued to output coal at a rate of 1.4 million tons per year. However, from 1983 onwards, the presence of human flesh in the outputted coal was noted. Recovered documents imply that though several power stations attempted to question SCP-5823 about this, all concerns were brushed off as "part of normal business operations".
Beginning in 1986, 90% of outputted material from SCP-5823 was human flesh. This was noted by auditors and reported to police, with control of the situation eventually being transferred to the British Occult Service. The initial findings of the British Occult Service were that the existence of SCP-5823 did not pose an extreme threat to the United Kingdom and, as such, was suitable to transfer to Foundation control under the Coronation Accords. Following Incident-5823-29, these findings have been reassessed and control of SCP-5823 is now split between the British Occult Service and the Foundation.
Incident-5823-29:
On 2003-07-15, former Conservative MP Michael Garness1 died. During his autopsy, it was noted that several of Garness' organs had been replaced with carved pieces of anthracite. Upon investigation by the British Occult Service, genetic testing of flesh produced by SCP-5823 was ordered. It was found that 3% of the flesh produced by SCP-5823 was a genetic match for Michael Garness. Further testing has found that all flesh produced by SCP-5823 is a genetic match for Conservative Members of Parliament between 1981 and 1987.

Footnotes
1. Secretary of State for Transport from 1982 to 1985.

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