Ask someone from Paris or France’s southern cities what they think of the Nord-Pas de Calais, and the response is likely to be unflattering. Stretching from the port of Dunkirk at the Belgian border, to the steel-working town of Maubeuge, the region is known for its grey skies, thick accent and resolutely industrial character.

Across a flat landscape, brick-built towns cluster around chimneys or slag heaps that have been quietly grassing over since the mines shut between 1960 and 1990.