Homes were evacuated as a precaution to keep residents and the wider community safe while investigations continue. The Local Resilience Partnership is reviewing the situation regularly and has decided that affected homes should remain evacuated for now, based on the information currently available.
We know residents will be keen to return home as soon as they can. For everyone’s safety, affected properties should not be entered at this stage unless access has been agreed in advance and is supervised by the multi-agency partners managing the response. Investigations are continuing, and the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) will update residents as soon as there is more information to share.
Work is continuing across the site, with specialist teams and contractors supporting the ongoing response.
From Monday 29 June, MRA will start their next phase of drilling on Nechtan Drive, Dunmoss View and The Glen.
This means pedestrian access will be permitted to the following timeslots on Wednesday 1 July and Friday 3 July.
Please contact the Council’s dedicated helpline on 01259 452010 to arrange your booking. To help keep everyone safe, please do not come to site without a confirmed booking through the Council. Unfortunately, access cannot be provided without this confirmed booking.
Your safety is our main priority. Decisions about evacuations have been made by the Local Resilience Partnership based on available information. If you have been asked to leave your property, this is because it is not currently considered safe to remain there.
Monitoring and investigation work is continuing across the area to help us better understand what is happening below the surface. This week, MRA’s investigations have moved to The Glen and the land adjacent to Park Street and Ochilview. MRA has also installed monitoring pins on some houses, to establish any movement affecting those properties.
Next week MRA will be drilling boreholes on Dunmoss View and Nechtan Drive and undertaking geophysical surveys on Benbuck View. Further drilling has also been scheduled on Langour for week commencing 6 July. MRA will provide a further update to this next week. MRA is also carrying out camera scans and geophysical surveys to help build a clearer picture of ground conditions. LiDAR surveys are continuing every week to compare movement over time and create heat maps that help us track any changes across the site.
The affected area has been secured with fencing, and security with CCTV is in place to help prevent unauthorised access. There is also security personnel on the ground. Structural engineers and other specialists are on the ground to carry out inspections and gather information.
The cause has not yet been confirmed. A number of possibilities are being considered, and investigations are taking place to inform this, including structural, drainage and slope stability assessments along with a comprehensive review of available mining information. It is important to avoid speculation until this work has been completed.
Yes. The MRA is not solely investigating mining; they are investigating what has caused the ground movement in relation to slope, stability, drainage, ground modification and other underlying conditions. As there are a number of potential things impacting the stability of the ground the MRA consider that it is helpful to gather as much information as possible for decision making and keeping people safe.
Temporary arrangements are being coordinated through the Council, with some residents staying with family or friends and others supported through temporary accommodation. For more information, residents should refer to the Operational Framework document, which is available by signing into www.clacks.gov.uk/myaccount/.
Information relating to temporary accommodation is detailed in the Operational Framework document, which is available by signing into www.clacks.gov.uk/myaccount/.
Utility providers have been involved in the response. To date, utilities have been disconnected at Benbuck and Dunmoss View and Nechtan Drive as a safety precaution.
Any decision to reconnect utilities will be undertaken by the utility providers after the movement has ceased and further inspections have been carried out.
Work is underway to inspect properties and understand the condition of the homes and surrounding area. This includes structural inspections, drainage investigations, utility checks, monitoring of the ground levels and a review of relevant technical and mining information. These checks will help inform decisions about safety, access and next steps.
It is understood that this is a very worrying time for residents. The MRA continue to investigate the cause of the ground movement at Benbuck View, Dunmoss View and the wider area.
Until those investigations are complete, they are unable to confirm whether it was caused by subsidence under the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991. The MRA will keep residents updated regularly as more information becomes available.
In the meantime, if you need to make a claim for personal belongings or ongoing costs, please contact your insurance provider, as the MRA is not yet in a position to determine liability at this time.
For more information, residents should refer to the Operational Framework document, which is available by signing into www.clacks.gov.uk/myaccount/.
If you have home insurance, you should still contact your insurer to notify them of the situation.
If you need immediate support with accommodation or practical assistance, arrangements are being coordinated through the Council. The council are working closely with the Association of British Insurers (ABI), to answer residents' concerns and questions.
If your insurer fails to provide you with assistance, then you should seek advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau (who will be in attendance at the drop in centre or your solicitor (if you do not have a solicitor one can be obtained via Law Society of Scotland.
In order to make a complaint about your insurer please the Financial Ombudsman can assist with this via this link Insurance – Financial Ombudsman service.
This will depend on individual policies and the confirmed cause of the issue. It is understood that this can be complex, and the MRA will provide as much guidance as they can once the cause is confirmed.
A letter about council tax exemptions has been issued to all evacuated residents.
If you have any questions, please email counciltax@clacks.gov.uk or call 01259 226239.
A number of multi-agency partners are involved, led by the local resilience partners, which includes Clackmannanshire Council, emergency services and the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA). We are working together to manage the immediate response, site safety, resident support and the technical investigations needed to understand what has happened.
We are committed to keeping residents informed as clearly and promptly as possible during the response, and those affected are receiving updates directly.
Please see our web pages and social media for the latest information.
You can also email clacksincident@clacks.gov.uk or call 01259 450000.
If you have an urgent concern about your immediate circumstances, please use the contact arrangements already provided to you by the agencies supporting the response.
Yes, affected residents can arrange access to undertake this. Please use the priority phone line for Clackmannanshire Council, 01259 452010.
This development was considered in line with the planning processes in place at the time (2008), including provision of a mining report to inform the local planning authority of potential coal mining risks and the need for appropriate investigation and treatment.
Investigation works were carried out under a Coal Authority permit to investigate and treat historic mining risks. A specialist contractor completed the ground stabilisation works, and follow-up testing confirmed the ground had been stabilised.
All partners understand this will be worrying for residents.
The safety of everyone involved remains the priority for all local resilience partners, and the MRA is working as quickly and safely as possible to support Clackmannanshire Council and those affected.
Detailed engineering assessments are continuing on site, with specialist teams working to establish the cause of the incident. In addition to the impacted streets, the MRA is undertaking wider monitoring which has not identified any other ground movement.
If you have concerns about your property, please speak to the MRA officers on site or use the following contact details: