Evacuations Due to Ground Movement in Clackmannanshire
Residents of a village in Clackmannanshire have been evacuated from 60 homes following concerns over "ground movement" and reports of "unsafe structures". spoke to residents who described being given only minutes to leave their properties.
On Wednesday, 30 homes in Dunmoss View, Coalsnaughton, were evacuated as a precaution. This followed a similar evacuation of 30 homes in the adjacent Benbuck View a week earlier.
Several residents, currently staying in temporary accommodation or with relatives, reported noticing cracks in their homes and hearing unusual noises prior to evacuation.
Clackmannanshire Council leader Ellen Forson acknowledged the possibility of further evacuations, stating:
"Obviously this time last week it was one street and there were no indications that another street would be impacted.
Then yesterday we saw there was another street, so I think it's natural to be a bit worried that there could be other streets involved.
At this time we can't rule out anything, but the Mining Remediation Authority are the experts on this, they're leading the site investigations and we'll hear back from them if anything else changes."
A map from the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) indicates a mine entry beneath what is now Dunmoss View and marks the area as having "past shallow coal mine workings".
Margo Brown, who has lived in her housing association property in Dunmoss View for six years, was among those evacuated on Wednesday.
She and her family were allowed to return briefly on Thursday to collect personal belongings. Margo described her husband noticing a new gap between their gate and gate post earlier in the week.
"He came into the house and said 'I think we're moving', and that was it.
The step at the front door has moved so you can get your fingers right in."
Margo described the evacuation as a shock, recalling the sequence of events:
"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'.
Ten minutes to get out and that was us."
The family are currently staying with relatives after declining offered accommodation.
"They did offer us some place but it wasn't acceptable to us, so we're going to our daughter's.
We love the house, so we'd definitely come back.
You feel numb when you're thinking, what's going to happen to us.
Just shock really, everybody wondering what's going to happen."
Aaron Anderson, a father of three living on a nearby street not yet evacuated, expressed high anxiety over the situation.
He has lived in his home for seven years with his wife and three children, including 11-year-old twins with autism.
"It's scary to say the least and (I'm) very very anxious.
I basically sat up all night wondering what's happening, and worrying about what's happening.
Obviously the people in the two streets, you're worried for them."
Aaron mentioned the two current evacuation options for his family are Devonvale Hall or a hotel, neither of which he believes his children could manage.
"My two children could not cope with either.
We're a family of five and where we would go, I have no idea.
When it was a couple of streets down, you thought OK this is a little bit scary, I wonder what's going to happen.
Then it moves up the street and it seems to follow a trend where it feels like we're next."
He has been regularly inspecting his property for signs of damage.
"I check for cracks in the garden, up the side of the house and the cladding, I've not seen anything.
When I saw people evacuated yesterday, I noticed them taking TVs and stuff, so I don't think they expected to be back anytime soon, I have no idea."
Marc and Laarni Payoyo and their three children have lived in Dunmoss View since February.
Laarni, 37, reported cracks appearing at the top of their kitchen wall before evacuation.
She described unusual noises heard the night before and the morning of the evacuation.
"In the morning we were woken up by people talking on the street and wondered, what's that noise?
But the night before we were already hearing strange noises at night. We thought, that's strange maybe it's the wind.
My husband went out straight away but when he was trying to open the door it's kind of jammed a bit."
The family has packed some belongings and moved to temporary accommodation in Stirling.
"It's a hassle because the kids go to school here."
Laarni said she tried to remain positive after the earlier evacuation of Benbuck View.
"I was praying, because we just moved in here almost four months ago.
There's too much to process at the moment.
We're just taking one thing at for a while for now and the good thing is we can still get our stuff."
Last week, Clackmannanshire Council imposed a three-week road closure in Benbuck View for "ground investigations and safety reasons".
The affected sites have been secured with fencing, and security and police are present to prevent unauthorized access.
The 60 evacuated properties include 41 owner-occupied homes, 19 housing association tenants, and four council tenants. All 30 homes in Benbuck View are privately owned.
The evacuation operation has reportedly cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Residents are currently allowed to book two daily slots for accompanied visits to retrieve personal belongings.
An initial report on the ground movement from the Mining Remediation Authority is expected next week.
Council Response and Support
Ellen Forson stated the council is prioritizing residents' immediate needs.
"At this time, we don't know how long the families will be out of their homes.
At the moment we are dealing with immediate needs, making sure that everybody's got a roof over their heads and that they're able to access any supports.
But longer term, we need to think about families' best needs as they move forward."
Regarding the possibility of permanent rehousing, she said:
"I think that's a bit of a way off.
At the moment, it's temporary accommodation to meet initial needs and we'll look at the situation as we move forward from there."
Forson added that the council is currently covering all costs for temporary accommodation but acknowledged the financial challenges for a small local authority.
"So we'll be looking out to national partners in both the Scottish and UK governments to see if there is support available."
The evacuation was raised during First Minister's Questions, where John Swinney informed local MSP Keith Brown that the Scottish government's resilience network would assist the council.
Mining Remediation Authority Statement
A spokesperson for the Mining Remediation Authority said:
"We are aware of reports of new ground movement on streets adjacent to Benbuck View and we are working closely with Clackmannanshire Council, to swiftly inspect these to support residents and ensure safety.
We understand how worrying this is for the community, and we are doing everything we can to support Clackmannanshire Council and those affected and respond as quickly and safely as possible."
Residents of Dunmoss View have been allowed to retrieve personal property from their homes under supervision.
