FAMILIES on a Horrabridge housing estate are being asked to leave their homes because it is feared the properties could be collapsing into old mines.

Geologists working for the Ministry of Defence have so far identified two houses on the MoD housing estate Chichester Close which are built on unstable ground.

The driveways of the two properties were fenced off in August after a mineshaft opened up.

The shaft has been covered to ensure the public and wildlife are protected.

An MoD spokesman said families affected have been asked to leave Chichester Close by the end of January, as further investigation by independent consultants to locate mineshafts is carried out.

?Some are choosing to go before Christmas, so they can settle into their new homes, others have opted to delay until the New Year,? said the spokesman.

The MoD Defence Housing Executive became aware of the possibility of old and redundant mine workings at Horrabridge around 12 months ago. In a statement, the MoD said since then they had kept the residents in Chichester Close ?fully informed?.

?As a precaution, 12 families have been or will shortly be moving to alternative accommodation. This is for safety reasons and to minimise the inconvenience and disruption to them while the investigation work is being carried out,? said the MoD statement.

The statement went on: ?A mineshaft has been pinpointed and a further investigation has been recommended. This is now ongoing. Design work to put a concrete cap on an identified mineshaft is also underway.?

Those Armed Forces families who have been asked to move have been given the option to move to another property in Horrabridge or to an estate in the Plymouth area.

At present, there are 77 family quarters on the Chichester Close estate.

The subsidence in the area is linked to a collapsing bungalow at nearby Copperfields.

In May, structural engineers discovered a 700ft shaft directly beneath the home of retired couple John and Jean Coulthard.

The shafts date back to the 18th Century Wheal Franco copper mine in Horrabridge.

Old mining records suggest there were six mineshafts in the village, one of which has still not been accounted for.