Cracks have appeared in village homes and roads

Villagers on the outskirts of Nuneaton have had some of their fears about the effect of mining subsidence on their homes allayed.

A rich seam of coal is being mined deep below Corley and cracks have appeared in houses and roads.

Residents were so concerned that they contacted North Warwickshire MP Dan Byles, who arranged a public meeting at the village hall.

People were able to quiz representatives from UK Coal and the Coal Authority over subsidence issues in the area caused by mining at Daw Mill Colliery.

Dan Byles chaired the meeting which was attended by dozens of villagers.

At the meeting UK Coal explained their statutory requirements to repair any damage caused by their mining activities and outlined the independent appeals procedure laid down by the law in the event of a dispute.

Dan Byles said: “UK Coal and the Coal Authority were very helpful. They provided maps and explanatory leaflets and they sent representatives to explain their liabilities and how they would be fulfilling them.

“They explained that, other than urgent repairs, no detailed repair work could be started until mining under the village is complete and the ground has settled.

“They were submitted to some pretty tough questioning from the residents.

“But overall, I think the mood at the end of the meeting was positive.

“People were pleased to have heard directly from UK Coal and seemed willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.”

He added: “It can be very distressing to find cracks appearing in your house as a result of mining activities deep underground that are nothing to do with you.

“For my part, I will be watching closely to make sure that anybody who suffers any damage or loss as a result of the deep coal mining at Daw Mill has that damage repaired.”

He said he will be monitoring the situation closely once the mining has ceased and the ground has settled.