Coalsnaughton residents: 'We were uprooted in an instant'

Residents evacuated from a street in a former Clackmannanshire mining village after ground movement was discovered last month say they have been "plunged into the unknown" .

Benbuck View was the first of four streets evacuated after reports of "unsafe structures" in Coalsnaughton on 18 May, with residents in 97 properties in the area now out of their homes while the cause is investigated.

In a statement, Benbuck View residents said they have been left with "no confirmed cause, no clear return date and no certainty over what happens next."

They have called for "proper national-level support, suitable interim accommodation and a clear coordinated arrangement."

First Minister John Swinney and Justice Secretary Neil Gray visited the area on Friday to meet residents and partner agencies.

Coalsnaughton residents in 28 properties in Nechtan Drive and nine properties in Langour were told to leave their homes on 29 May.

It followed the evacuation of 60 properties in Benbuck View and Dunmoss View the previous week.

Clackmannanshire Council and the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) confirmed the investigation would take another eight weeks.

In their statement, residents said: "We were uprooted in an instant.

"Our children were woken by unfamiliar faces and told they could not stay in their own beds that night.

"We were displaced from our homes, our community, our friends and our support networks, and plunged into the unknown."

Some displaced residents have been staying with their families, but others are in hotels or temporary accommodation - some of which they criticised as substandard.

Resident Emma Little told BBC Scotland News she had spent £1,500 on "decent accommodation" in a holiday rental that she hopes her insurer will reimburse.

She said: "We're getting offered student accommodation at the moment that is filthy.

"There are stains on the mattresses, cigarette burns on the carpet, it's not been cleaned and there is mould around the window.

"We've been told to accept it or to go somewhere else for support."

Little said some residents have no access to cooking facilities and are relying on friends and family to wash clothes.

She added: "Over the last two weeks my daughter has slept in five different beds.

"I know where I'm going to be for the next 10 nights but I've had to pay for that myself.

"Now that so many homes have been evacuated, everything is fully booked."

The residents said the eight-week timeline relates to investigation and testing and is not a confirmed return date.

The residents' statement continued: "It is not a countdown to normality.

"As we understand it, it is the current estimated timescale for further investigation and testing.

"That testing must provide clear evidence on what is causing the ground movement and what risks remain.

"If mining cannot be ruled out, or if ground movement continues, residents need to know who is taking responsibility, what support will be provided, and what happens next."

The residents said key questions included whether mining can be ruled out as the cause of the ground movement and on what evidence, and "what needs to happen before we can safely return to our home."

The residents said they were living through "an open-ended emergency".

The statement said: "This is no longer a short-term emergency or a matter of finding somewhere to sleep for a few nights.

"Our families could be displaced for many more weeks, potentially longer, with no guarantee that eight weeks brings us home.

"We now need safe, secure and suitable accommodation where we can cook, wash clothes, care for our children, work, attend school and nursery, and live with some level of normality while investigations continue."

The residents thanked the local community and volunteers, and Clackmannanshire Council and local politicians Keith Brown MSP and Brian Leishman MP for their "continued support and advocacy."

However, they added: "Clackmannanshire Council has acknowledged it is struggling to source suitable accommodation.

"We recognise the pressure the council is under and remain grateful for the support provided so far.

"But this situation is now beyond what a small local authority can reasonably manage alone."

The residents said that if ultimate responsibility for the issue remains "unresolved, disputed, or falls between agencies" they must not be "left carrying the costs and consequences alone."

They said: "This is not just bricks and mortar.

"These are our safe spaces, our lives, our savings, our memories and our belongings, all locked inside homes we still do not know when, or if, we will be able to return to.

"This is not just ground movement. It is our families, our homes and our lives being turned upside down."

Following his visit, Swinney said that the Scottish government had activated the Bellwin Scheme, which offers emergency financial assistance to councils.

He said: "We'll be in constant dialogue with the local authority to make sure the community is well-supported for what I recognise to be a very difficult situation.

Asked about complaints from some residents about substandard temporary accommodation, Swinney said that it was important that every affected person is "properly and well supported by quality accommodation solutions."

He said: "If people have had to leave their homes in very short order, it's enormously distressing and stressful for them.

"So, we've got to make sure that solutions are put in place that assist individuals.

"Clackmannanshire Council is working with individuals to try to do that.

"But I've made clear that the Scottish government will want to support the council and its efforts by collaborating with other housing associations, other local authorities to try to find solutions that will meet the needs of individuals."

Following the multi-agency meeting, Clackmannanshire Council leader Ellen Forson said: "During the visit I stressed the significant impact this major, ongoing incident is having on the affected residents and the uncertainty and disruption they face.

"Our thoughts remain with all those impacted by this incident.

"We will continue to work closely with our partners and do everything possible to support residents and families through what remains a very challenging time."

An online MRA map shows that there was a mine entry on what is now Dunmoss View and the area is marked as having "past shallow coal mine workings".

The MRA said work was continuing "at pace" to establish the cause of this incident.

Carl Banton, MRA chief operations director, said: "We have multiple specialist teams carrying out detailed engineering assessments to understand the cause of the ground movement.

"We are doing all we can, as quickly as possible, alongside the Local Resilience Partnership to understand the cause of this incident, and identify the potential activity needed to make the area safe again.

"Our thoughts remain with the residents affected."