THE costs of supporting households affected by widespread ground movement in a former pit village in Scotland are uncapped and could run to “tens of millions” of pounds, a British minister has confirmed.

Coalsnaughton in Clackmannanshire saw 97 households evacuated in May as homes and whole streets began to crack and shift.

An eight-week investigation by the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) has now confirmed that the subsidence was caused by historic mining activity and that it will now lead efforts to make the village safe again.

Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: “We have said any and all costs will be met by the UK government, including [that] we will reimburse the costs of Clackmannanshire Council and the Scottish government that they’ve already spent on their response.

“That’s not capped at all and it’s coming from the Treasury reserve because it is a one-off, unexpected cost.

“But we’re looking at estimates into the tens of millions.”

That cost will not only be taken up by remediation work but also by offering affected residents the option of selling their homes to the government at the full pre-incident market value and, where necessary, additional support to relocate.

MRA chief operations director Carl Banton said the authority was working with Clackmannanshire Council and the local resilience partnership to support villagers, adding: “We will be contacting affected residents directly to explain what this means for them personally and to talk through the support that is available.”

Welcoming residents “now being able to make long-term decisions about where they’re going to live,” First Minister John Swinney said: “We will work collaboratively with the UK government and the MRA, giving support to Clackmannanshire Council to make sure that residents can be supported effectively.”