RESIDENTS living in an area of Tavistock affected by 19th century shallow mine workings have been reassured by West Devon Borough Council and MP Geoffrey Cox that everything will be done to secure government funding to remedy the problem. Around 50 residents in the Crelake and Drake Gardens area of the town recently attended a meeting organised by the borough and chaired by Mr Cox to listen to the progress of the council-led project. They were given an update on investigation works carried out on behalf of the council late last year. Funded by a £60,000 government grant from English Partnerships, the exploratory work has given the council sufficient detail to plan and cost a remediation scheme. Richard Gould, of Tavistock engineering consultants Frederick Sherrell Ltd, said the investigations had isolated the problem area down to only 14 houses. Borough council officer Dave Banks told residents the council fully supported the project and had committed £50,000 to the project along with staff resources. It would now be bidding for grant aid of around £1-million from the government to stabilise ground conditions in the area. He said the council had held talks with English Partnerships about funding the remediation works and homeowners directly affected by the mine workings were fully behind the plans. The shallow mine workings were discovered in Drake Gardens just over five years ago. Since then, the council, home owners in Drake Gardens, housing association West Devon Homes and Devon County Council have been working together to resolve the issue. Some residents moved out of their homes two years ago as a precautionary measure and six homes — including five owned by West Devon Homes — remain empty. Ward Cllr Mandy Govier, who has been working alongside the residents, said: 'I felt very much reassured by the meeting. Everyone had the opportunity to speak to council officers and the engineers and it has put the minds of residents at ease.' Mr Cox also pledged his support for the council's efforts to resolve the problem and stated his intention to seek an early meeting with the relevant Minister. He said: 'I am in close contact with West Devon Borough Council and English Partnerships and I shall monitor the project every step of the way. 'Although only a few houses are affected directly, it is essential that every resident in Drake Gardens and Crelake is able to enjoy peace of mind that their properties are not blighted by the fear of instability from the old Bedford mine.'