Major incident declared in South Wales as Storm Bert takes its toll

A major incident has been declared in South Wales after dozens of homes, businesses and a number of schools were affected by flooding during Storm Bert.

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, South Wales Fire and Rescue, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and South Wales Police have declared a major incident for the borough.

Meanwhile, a body has been found in the search for 75-year-old Brian Perry after he went missing in the River Conwy on Saturday, North Wales Police said.

Rest centres for impacted residents have been set up at Pontypridd Library, Ystrad Sports Centre, Sobell Leisure Centre and Cynon Valley Indoor Bowls Centre.

Between 200 and 300 properties in the area have been affected by flooding, councillor Andrew Morgan, leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council, told a press conference on Sunday.

Mr Morgan said the weather was worse than forecast.

“I am amazed that it was only a yellow weather warning issued,” he said.

“We absolutely thought on Saturday… we were preparing for the possibility of an amber warning.”

Asked if he believes lives are at risk, Mr Morgan said: “Well, absolutely, you know, when you got a river flooding in people’s houses, and we’re asking the fire service to rescue people by boat, then clearly lives are at risk.”

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies visited Pontypridd on Sunday, and the Prime Minister’s office has been in touch, Mr Morgan added.

They added: “There are a number of highways closures, with a landslip on the Bwlch Mountain Road at Nantymoel closing this road, and South Wales Police closing bridges in Pontypridd.

“The advice to everyone is only travel if absolutely necessary.”

The Abercynon Feeder Pipe Footbridge over the River Taff in South Wales, which was being rebuilt after being substantially damaged during Storm Dennis in 2020, was completely washed away during floods on Saturday night, Mr Morgan said.

It comes as record river levels were recorded on the Taff on Saturday night.

Sir Chris Bryant, MP for Rhondda and Ogmore, said there are about 10 different areas in his constituency affected by flooding and a fundraising page has been set up to help those in need.

The MP said the Rhondda river at Gelli was 53cm higher than it was during Storm Dennis in February 2020.

He added that the Rheola pub has been flooded for about the third time in five years and this time it was “like a river running through the middle of it”.

Sir Chris said: “Quite a few of the local people who I’ve spoken to today don’t have any insurance as if you’re hard up it’s the last bill you pay.”

Meanwhile, firefighters have been pumping water out of Sion Street in Pontypridd, where several homes have been flooded.

This is the second time in four years the street has experienced major flooding.

Residents on Sion Street have criticised NRW for not doing enough to prevent the flooding.

Paula Williams, whose house on Sion Street flooded, said: “We only knew something was happening because we had a neighbour knocking us. She was shouting ‘get the cars moved’.

“We managed to get the dog out down my parents’ so we didn’t have to worry about her and then it was all hands to the pump.”

Ms Williams blamed NRW for not listening to them the last time there was flooding.

“They’ve tried to convince everybody that the flood defences worked. I have got videos proving the flood defences don’t work.”

Ms Williams said the water was not coming over their walls and barriers, but up from underneath, forcing its way through their floorboards.

She added: “We had one flood alert yesterday morning at 10 o’clock, which is just the general keep an eye out alert.

“We had the actual flood warning, which is the risk to flooding properties, at about 7.40am this morning but the river had already flooded, it was too late by then.”

Ms Williams said it was the work of their neighbours and them fighting to protect the homes that stopped the flooding being as bad as in 2020.

Claire Instrell, whose home in Pontypridd was flooded four years ago but has avoided water this time, said: “At eight o’clock this morning, I got knocked up out of bed.

Rania Koutsikou, 32, a part-time lecturer and PhD student at the University of South Wales, said: “We moved our car, moved some of our stuff and our dog upstairs, and we went to our neighbours who offered us help.

“We’re just trying to save what we can.

“Nobody (official) took any action yesterday, like brought us sandbags or anything.

“People are very keen to help, as you can see, everyone is around, offering coffee, offering cookies, fire service are here now.”

Nick Bettinson, duty tactical manager for NRW, said: “The intensity and duration of the rainfall on saturated ground in steep-sided valleys in this area means that river levels were rising very quickly.

“In relation to the Taff Valley, we issued a flood warning for the River Taff at Pontypridd at 7.41am when the river reached flood warning trigger level.

“We are currently focused on responding to this incident and, as we do with every flood event, we will review the response as we enter the recovery phase.”

Mr Bettinson said NRW is working with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC) to review the flood risk in many of the areas across the Taff catchment, to inform long-term flood risk management plans.

“We have also worked with the local authority to roll out individual property protection to many hundreds of homes at higher risk of flooding in this area.

“Climate change is greatly increasing the flood risks we face.

“We will continue to work with RCTCBC, like we do in other communities across Wales, to plan for the future and to help mitigate and adapt to these risks.

“But we cannot stop all flooding.

“Adaptation to growing flood risk and learning to live better and recover more quickly from flooding will be absolutely key in the coming decades.”

NRW has issued more than 100 flood warnings and alerts across the country, with bridges shut and roads closed.

Rising waters have been reported in other towns across the country, including Ebbw Vale and Aberdare, with landslides in North Wales.

Five adults and five children had to be rescued from a house in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, near Llangollen in North Wales, following a landslide on Saturday.

It comes after as much as 64.4mm of rain fell in Capel Curig, North Wales, in 12 hours on Saturday and wind gusts of up to 82mph were recorded in the Welsh village.

Roads have also seen massive disruption, with the M48 Severn Bridge between Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire closed in both directions due to strong winds.

National Highways has advised motorists to use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.

Rail lines have also been affected, with the Conwy Valley line, which runs from Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and the Heart of Wales lines –  Swansea to Shropshire – set to be closed for the rest of Sunday.

Welsh Water has issued a “boil water” notice to all customers in the Blaenrhondda, Blaencwm, Tynewydd, Treherbert, Treorchy, Cwm-parc, Pentre, Ton Pentre, Gelli and Tonypandy areas, with immediate effect, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council said.

They are investigating a potential issue at Tynywaun Water Treatment Works which has been impacted by the storm weather.

To view the fundraising page set up by Sir Chris and his team, visit gofundme.com/f/p9zpr-rhondda-flood-fund?attribution_id=sl:cb1e429e-599f-4437-ae55-5e21128012ea&utm_campaign=pd_ss_icons&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link