The council knows the risks, we all have to pay for surveys when we buy a house as part of the legal proceedings. But I think people would panic if it was made public exactly where the mines were and that would do more harm.

Home Group has moved a number of families from properties closest to the collapsed mineshaft. This had been done on the recommendation of Copeland Council.

We offer affected families the choice of two options, either hotel accommodation or staying with family or friends.

For those in hotels we pay for all their accommodation and provide an allowance of £10 per person per day for subsistence.

For those who choose to stay with family we provide £300 per month to cover the cost of board and lodgings.

These allowances will normally exceed the value of any rent the customer continues to pay.

We firmly believe no customer should be financially disadvantaged by circumstances which are beyond their control.

Any Home Group customer affected by the mineshaft collapse requiring further assistance should call should call 0345 141 4663

Well done to RYAN for saving the man from the deep hole, he went without thinking of his own safety, Surely a survey can be done by the Council of the sites around the area to try to find out where other holes are around the area of these houses.

My sister and her partner two nephews and a niece were forced out of their home because of this by home housing and are currently staying with family but are still having to pay rent on a house they cannot live in because its classed as unsafe. i think this is ridiculous why she should have to pay because of a tenancy when she currently has no tenancy due to no home! so she is paying lodge with family then on top having to pay rent for a house thats in cohabitable. it stinks!! home group need their butts kicked and should be reimbursing these people not just my sister as they are not providing a service to her or any of them.Hope it all gets sorted soon but home group really need to rethink charging tenants for no service at all.

why do you want another person looking down the same hole, what is the point of dragging the local MP down to look at it he won't be able to do anything, what you need are engineers who know what to do rather than somebody mouthing off!!!

And why exactly do people want the politicians there? Unless you are going to use them to fill the hole by throwing them in!

I think the story should concentrate on the brave man that rescued the rig worker. You internet moaners are missing the point.

well done...

where was our local mp today jamie reed ? typical you never see him till its election day

The shaft that collapsed was probably the Gillfoot Park Mine, No1 Pit which was 300ft deep opened in 1879, No2 Pit is towards the cemetery close to the road and No3 is towards the rugby ground. No6 was probably the one that collapsed a couple of years ago, No4 is in the area of the caravan park. No5 is near to the new housing estate. No doubt the amount of rain we have had has something to do with the mine collapsing.

Elaine Woodburn should put her thinking cap on before speaking publically. A great many of the present-day Egremont residents are living in Egremont because their fore-fathers came to work in the iron ore mines at least 150 years ago. She is, I believe, in favour of digging another big hole to fill with something far more lethal and with potentially more dangerous implications than the present-day problems being experienced with the iron-ore mines. Of course this hole would not be right in Egremont so that makes it ok! She is just as bad as those people who she claims came and took the benefits of the mines.