Residents evacuated after evidence of ground movement found

Residents of a Clackmannanshire street have been evacuated after evidence of ground movement was discovered.

Clackmannanshire Council said 30 homes in Benbuck View in Coalsnaughton had to leave their properties on Monday evening.

A rest centre was set up at Devonvale Hall but was closed after the affected residents were all accommodated elsewhere.

The council said investigations into the cause of the ground movement were continuing and the Mining Remediation Authority was on site.

Resident Simon Woodward said he was given "about 30 seconds" notice to leave his home.

He said he was watching television at about 21:00 when a firefighter knocked on his door and "told me to get out of my house."

He said: "There were loads of fire engines, police cars, an ambulance, and a gas van.

"They kicked us out and told us we weren't getting back in.

"By about 22:20 we were escorted back to our houses, I got a bag out and they were knocking on the door saying hurry up. I've got very little with me."

Woodward said he was initially sent to Devonvale Hall but eventually found accommodation in Stirling.

He said he "hadn't a clue" where he would be staying overnight.

He added: "There's obviously ground movement, you can see that. Quite a few houses have been affected.

"It's like two tectonic plates, they rise up. Usually in these situations you expect to see a big hole somewhere, but there's no hole.

"It's pushing all the slabs up, that go to people's front door."

The Mining Remediation Authority said it was alerted at about 21:30 on Monday.

A spokesperson said: "We are planning to carry out detailed investigations to determine the cause of the incident and any potential risks."

Clackmannanshire Council said the residents were all evacuated safely and no-one was injured.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were alerted at 20:59 on Monday to reports of several unsafe structures at Benbuck View, Coalsnaughton.

"Operations Control mobilised three appliances plus specialist resources to the scene, where a number of properties were evacuated as a precaution.

"There were no reported casualties and crews left the scene at 02:22 after ensuring the area was made safe."