Work on Merthyr sinkhole forced to stop due to heavy rain

Heavy rain has disrupted work to repair the sinkhole which opened up on Sunday in Nant Morlais near Merthyr.

Due to the current weather conditions, the water level within the culvert where the sinkhole appeared  has risen.

As a result Welsh Water has had to pause their works for a crane to be moved onsite to carry out the urgent stabilisation works needed.

Struggling

The water pumps working to divert the flow of the river are reportedly struggling to cope with the increase in water due to the weather, and as of this morning, the sinkhole has increased in size.

Merthyr council has said this means that they are no longer in a position to allow householders from the lower end of the cul-de-sac to return home safely, possibly until early next week.

However, the timeline provided will be heavily reliant on weather conditions over the coming weekend.

Some residents have been put up in a hotel, and have said they would have to “wait and see how everything unfolds”

Earlier on in the week Brent Carter, the leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, said he hoped residents would be back in their homes by Christmas, though he said he could not give a timeline for how long it would take for remediation works to be completed.

Inspections

Concerns about the culvert have been raised in the past, and Brent Carter said it is inspected every two years to try to ensure something like this does not happen.

He added that more frequent inspections may be considered going forward.

The council have said they will provide further updates tomorrow.