Donald Linn, senior geologist at Glasgow City Council, warned the tunnels that criss-cross Jordanhill will collapse at some point in the future and work is urgently needed to fill them in before damage occurs.
A meeting held last night to discuss a £1million programme of works to deal with the mines heard plans to fill them with a grout made of cement and ash which will safeguard the area in the West End from collapse.
More than 100 residents are facing bills of up to £5000 to pay for the work, which is due to start in January.
Some of the mines date back to the 1690s, while houses have stood above them for at least 100 years.
Asked why the work was needed now, Mr Linn said: "One of the reasons is it's impossible to predict when mine workings are going to collapse.
"Sometimes it is a matter of months, sometimes they last for centuries. But it is just a matter of time. They will, in due course, collapse.
"The fact that houses have not so far been damaged by subsidence is a good thing. But the job we're doing is because there is a serious risk to properties. It is a preventative measure."
Jordanhill is regarded as one of the more affluent areas of the city, where average house prices are between £450,000 and £600,000.
Many residents are attracted to the neighbourhood by its proximity to Jordanhill School, a state-funded self-governing school that has topped league tables as the best-performing secondary in the country.
Glasgow City Council plans to spend six months filling in the parts of the mines which pose the most risk by drilling a series of boreholes and pumping in the grout mixture.
Holes will be dug by hand in several locations around the area and then multiple shafts will be drilled to reach the mines, which are around 42ft beneath the surface. Streets affected include Munro Road, Borden Road, Austen Road and Chamberlain Road.
The meeting was told that people will be given two years to pay the bill for the work, although some pensioners or people on benefits will be given three years and a further reduction.
Glasgow City Council is now sending the mine-filling work out to tender and hopes to have secured a contractor by the end of the year.
jody.harrison@heraldandtimes.co.uk
