People were given just minutes to leave their homes in an evacuation of nearly 100 properties in Scotland, after unexplained ‘ground movement’ in a former mining village.
Authorities decided people must leave 28 properties in Nechtan Drive and nine homes in Langour, both streets near the historic coal mining site of Coalsnaughton.
Some 30 homes had already been cleared in the nearby Dunmoss View and another 30 in Benbuck View in recent weeks, after parts of the streets had shifted.
The movement had been dramatic enough that the walls of some houses had cracked.
Ground movement can happen near old mines when the former caverns can no longer take the weight of the earth above, but it is not yet known what caused the movement in Coalsnaughton.
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The village had a large coal mine through the Victorian era and into the 20th century.
The mine was sealed in 1935, but authorities are now worried it could be collapsing.
Nikki Bridle, the chief executive of Clackmannanshire Council, said the move was taken as a precaution and in a ‘controlled manner’.
She said the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) was investigating, but that could take ‘some time’ to finish.
She said: ‘This brings the total number of evacuated properties to 97 since 18 May 2026.
‘The priority of all local resilience partners continues to be the safety and welfare of everyone involved, and our officers remain in the local area to provide guidance and support to residents during what we appreciate is a worrying and uncertain time.’
Margo Brown, a resident of Dunmoss view, was evacuated last week before being allowed to return with her husband and daughter to fetch some personal items.
She told the BBC: ‘You’re waiting about all day trying to find out what’s going to happen, then we got an email saying, no it’s OK, you don’t have to get out.
‘Then 20 minutes later, “all out, everybody out”. 10 minutes to get out and that was us.’
The community in Coalsnaughton has offered to support people with storage space, washing and hot water.
The village primary school is also collecting donations for people affected by the evacuations.
Residents are not allowed back into their homes permanently, but can visit to collect their things.
Police have fenced off the area to stop people from getting in without permission.
Neil Gray, Scotland’s justice secretary, met with Ellen Forson, the leader of Clackmannanshire Council and Keith Brown, the local MSP, on Friday.
Gray said: ‘Investigations are being carried out by the Mining Remediation Authority to establish the source of the subsidence and we await its findings.’
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