Appointment/Production Report

RNS Number:3687Y
Avocet Mining PLC
10 July 2002



N E W S    R E L E A S E



                                  10 July 2002



AVOCET HIRES CHIEF GEOLOGIST;

ENCOURAGING RESULTS FROM MALAYSIAN AND INDONESIAN GOLD RESOURCES



Avocet Mining PLC ("Avocet" or "the Company") announces the appointment of Peter
Flindell as Chief Geologist.  With over sixteen years' experience in gold and
copper exploration, resource evaluation and reserve development in S.E. Asia and
North America, Peter will be responsible for all Avocet's mine, project and
grassroots exploration.



Prior to joining Avocet, Peter spent twelve years with Newmont Mining
Corporation ("Newmont"), where he held a number of key technical and management
positions, including Exploration Manager for the Western Pacific Region.  During
his career with Newmont, he played a leading role in the exploration and
development of the two million ounce Mesel gold mine in North Sulawesi,
Indonesia, and was responsible for the discovery of Avocet's North Lanut project
which is about 40 km from Mesel.  He was also involved in the early assessment
and evaluation of Newmont's US$2 billion Batu Hijau copper-gold mine in Sumbawa,
Indonesia.



Peter is a geology graduate from the Australian National University and is a
member of the Society of Economic Geologists and the Australian Institute of
Mining and Metallurgy.



Peter's appointment will enhance Avocet's recently stated strategy of focusing
on its gold business.  The success of the Penjom gold mine in Malaysia, coupled
with positive results from the North Lanut project in Indonesia, will provide
Avocet with a strong foundation for expanding its exploration and development
activities in the region.



Penjom, Malaysia



Penjom's production for the quarter ending 30 June 2002 was an estimated 27,460
ounces of gold.  This was better than expected because the independently audited
mineral resources included within the present open pit design (as announced on 7
February 2002) has for the past eight months underestimated the mine's realised
ore tonnes and gold grades by 25% in terms of contained gold.  This
underestimation is a result of the complex nature of the ore bodies and the
consequent requirement to have a higher than normal degree of conservatism in
their evaluation.  The following table compares Penjom's life-of-mine ore
production from the audited mineral resources included within the present open
pit design, after adjusting for production up to 31 March 2002, with the
Company's new estimate of ore production.


                                       Tonnes               Grade (Au g/t)            Troy Ounces
     Company's Estimate              2,678,225                   6.75                   581,500
      Audited Estimate               1,720,244                   6.03                   333,650
         Difference                     +36%                     +12%                    +43%









The Company's new estimate above not only includes its own re-interpretation of
Penjom's audited resources based on reconciliation results to date, but also a
reduction in cut-off grades from 2.0 g/t to 1.5 g/t to reflect higher gold
prices, and the addition of approximately 100,000 ounces previously omitted.
This additional resource had been under evaluation for possible extraction by
underground mining methods.  Although results showed that the economics of
underground mining were comparable with mining the resource in a new open pit
design, the latter option was selected as more compatible with existing
operations.  However, underground mining remains an option for possible
resources outside Penjom's current pit limits.  This potential and a number of
other exploration targets at Penjom will be the focus of a new, high priority
exploration programme.



North Lanut, Indonesia



North Lanut includes two adjacent gold deposits, Riska and Effendi, which are
the most advanced of the gold prospects discovered by Newmont within the 460
square miles of exploration and mining rights that the Company acquired from
Newmont in March 2002.



To date, the Company has received results for the first 18 diamond drill holes
completed.  The table below summarises the results from all holes.


      Drill           From           To          Interval             Average Grade
      Hole            (m)           (m)            (m)                  (g/t Au)
     NLD-56            0           153.5          153.5                   1.28
          incl.       34.2          78.2           44.0                   2.03
           and       102.2         136.5           34.3                   1.85
     NLD-57A          49.0         174.4*         125.4                   3.30
          incl.       81.0         113.0           32.0                   8.27
     NLD-58           59.0         110.7*          51.7                   1.24
     NLD-59           37.0          41.0           4.0                    2.02
     NLD-60            0           111.7*         111.7                   1.53
          incl.       75.5          85.5           10.0                   6.41
           and        97.5         109.5           12.0                   3.36
     NLD-61           57.5         148.7*          91.2                   3.40
          incl.       69.5          73.5           4.0                    18.7
           and       113.0         117.0           4.0                    12.0
     NLD-62           65.5         93.5*           28.0                   1.08
     NLD-63           63.5          84.0           20.5                   1.89
     NLD-64           92.0         104.5           12.5                   2.23
     NLD-65           18.0          32.0           14.0                   1.25
     NLD-66           81.0          89.0           8.0                    1.27
     NLD-67           5.0           19.0           14.0                   1.32
     NLD-68           68.0          84.0           16.0                   1.13
     NLD-69           19.0          51.0           32.0                   1.50
     NLD-70          110.0         124.0           14.0                   1.86
     NLD-71           46.0          58.0           12.0                   0.82
     NLD-72           40.5         164.5          124.0                   2.18
          incl.      116.5         144.5           28.0                   2.91
     NLD-73            0           141.7          141.7                   2.22
          incl.       94.0         108.0           14.0                   10.2

* indicates that mineralisation is open at depth



Note:  Standard sampling procedures were followed whereby drill core was sawn in
half using a diamond saw then sampled on two metre or smaller intervals, leaving
half of the core for archival storage on site in Indonesia.  Gold is analysed
using a standard fire assay technique by an independent Indonesian subsidiary of
Analabs.  Analabs is an internationally recognised firm owned and operated by
Scientific Services Ltd., an Australian Stock Exchange listed company.





The North Lanut drill programme is assessing the potential for a 400,000 ounce
measured and indicated gold resource in the upper 175 metres of the Riska
deposit where the ore is most likely to be amenable to low cost open pit mining
and heap leaching.  This involves testing the core of the deposit to evaluate
grade continuity and provide samples for metallurgical test work. It also
involves drilling the flanks of the deposit to assess the lateral extent of
mineralisation.



In general, the Company's exploration results to date indicate that Riska,
alone, could meet Avocet's minimum ore resource target.  Newmont's drilling
results on both Riska and Effendi outlined a mineral inventory of 800,000 ounces
of gold with an average grade of 1.2 g/t.  Avocet anticipates that it will
complete a pre-feasibility study on the North Lanut project sufficient to make a
mine development decision by the end of 2002.



Avocet is a mining company listed on the main board of the London Stock Exchange
although it has recently announced its intention to move to the Alternative
Investment Market (AIM).  The Company's principal activities are gold mining and
exploration in Malaysia and Indonesia and the operation of a tungsten mine in
Portugal.



For further information please contact:



Avocet Mining PLC

John Catchpole  (Chief Executive and Finance Director)

Jonathan Henry (Executive Vice President)         020 7907 9000

Website: www.avocet.co.uk



4C Communications Ltd.

Carina Corbett                                    020 7907 4761 / 020 8949 7171


















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