New mineshaft collapse 'completely unrelated' to village evacuation
The Mining Remediation Authority says the mineshaft in nearby Alloa is not related to the unprecedented ground movement in Coalsnaughton.
A new mineshaft collapse in Clackmannanshire is “completely unrelated” to the ground movement in Coalsnaughton that has seen almost 100 families evacuated.
The exposed mineshaft was discovered on Monday on Clackmannan Road in Alloa.
The Mining Remediation Authority closed the road and filled the shaft with stone to stabilise it.
However, the authority says this is an isolated incident and is not related to the evacuations in Coalsnaughton four miles away.
A spokesperson for the Mining Remediation Authority said: “Working closely with Police Scotland and other partners, we immediately fenced off the site to keep people safe and have filled the collapse with stone to stabilise the affected area.
“We will carry out further investigations to determine the cause of the collapse, design a permanent treatment solution and carry out repair works as soon as we can.
“We’d like to reassure the community that this is an isolated incident and it is completely unrelated to the incident we are dealing with at Coalsnaughton.”
Over 250 residents across four streets in Coalsnaughton had to be evacuated after the unprecedented ground movement of up to 10 millimetres a week was discovered in May. A new report into the movement also found the village had sunk by two feet in eight years.
The evacuated families are now protected by the law after an eight-week investigation revealed the issues were related to historic mining work. The UK Government has promised to cover the costs, which could run into the tens of millions.
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Clackmannanshire Council is due to meet on Thursday to discuss updated arrangements for the Coalsnaughton families who have been displaced.
So far, 20 households have been given temporary accommodation within the council’s own housing stock, seven within Kingdom Housing’s stock, and eight within Stirling University’s student accommodation.
Those displaced into temporary student accommodation in Stirling are expected to have a long-term housing offer by the end of the month.
A further 27 households are being housed by insurance companies and 23 are living with family or friends.
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