Pontypridd’s main park remains closed following Storm Bert but a major mountain road is now reopen

Anthony Lewis – Local democracy reporter

Pontypridd’s main park remains closed following Storm Bert but a major mountain road is now reopen.

In the latest update from Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council following the floods on the weekend, it confirmed that the clean up at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park and Lido Ponty continues.

The park will remain closed until at least Thursday (November 28) with a further update set to come on Thursday afternoon.

Storm

But the Bwlch Mountain Road to Nantymoel in Bridgend has now reopened after a landslip caused by the storm.

There are currently a confirmed 125 properties which were internally flooded, less than ten times what was experienced in Storm Dennis. However, the impact on residents and businesses is just as significant and the council said it is here to support them.

A £1000 community flood recovery grant is now available for residents and businesses who have been subject to internal flooding during Storm Bert and people can visit the council’s website to apply.

The council said it is asking people to apply so it has the correct bank details for those impacted and payments can be processed as quickly as possible, but also so the council can provide additional support such as council tax and business rate exemptions and arrange collection of damaged items from properties with no on-street skips.

Flooding

Welsh Government has also confirmed additional payments of £1000 for uninsured households and £500 for insured households impacted by internal flooding.

The council said staff continue to be out making contact with residents who are dealing with the devastating impact of flooding to support them, with almost 150 properties having been contacted since Monday morning.

The council said there may be more isolated incidents of internal flooding that have not been reported to the council and that it is important people in those properties also have access to the range of support.

Risk

RCT will continue to work with other organisations to provide additional support to impacted residents, such as Citizens Advice and the British Red Cross, who are out with council staff.

Meanwhile, the flood risk management team is conducting investigations where flooding has hit to better understand how and why it occurred.

Over half of flooding incidents resulted from main river flooding including Mill Street, Sion Street and Berw Road in Pontypridd.

The council is responsible for managing flood risk from surface water through its drains and gullies and small watercourses, which it manages through council-owned culverts. Natural Resources Wales is responsible for river flood defences, warnings, and alerts.

The council has a legal duty to investigate all flooding incidents in the area, whether or not flooding is a result of river flooding, privately maintained watercourses, or council maintained drains and culverts.

Culverts

The council said: “However, we will need to work with other organisations such as Natural Resources Wales, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, and also owners of privately maintained watercourses, to better understand what could or can be done to reduce the risk to properties and ensure that whoever is responsible can act on the findings.

“Since Storm Dennis, we have spent over £100 million to improve culverts and other assets and repair damage. Where those investments have been made the majority of this newly-installed infrastructure held out and protected a large number of properties that would have otherwise been flooded. There is more that we want and need to do, and we already have a comprehensive programme of culvert upgrades ongoing.

“As has been the case since Storm Dennis in 2020, we will continue to prioritise investment in infrastructure that we are responsible for, and it is important to recognise that these investments have protected hundreds of properties and businesses across Rhondda Cynon Taf.”

The council said it has had no requests from residents for emergency housing, but that the housing team is available to those who need help.