Flooding in Pentre and Maerdy prompts major investigation

Flooding hits village again after heavy rain

A major investigation into flooding in Rhondda Cynon Taff is under way, its council leader has said.

Almost 200 properties in the borough were flooded on Wednesday, some for the third time this year, with Pentre and Maerdy the worst hit.

Plaid Member of the Senedd (MS) for the Rhondda, Leanne Wood, said people were angry and called for an inquiry.

But council leader Andrew Morgan said it would take too long and a plan would be in place over the next few days.

He told BBC Radio Wales: "An independent inquiry could take many, many months, I think what the residents want is action."

Flood-damaged sofa on pavement
A flood-damaged sofa was left on a pavement in Pentre

He said a major investigation was under way "right now with contractors and our own staff" and a number of factors could have contributed to the floods, including water running down the mountainside or the possibility a pumper station tripped out.

"It may well be the drain system in the area can no longer cope, in which case we have to make significant investment," he said.

"It could well be the system was simply overloaded, and therefore we need to look at all the facts before jumping to conclusions.

"We will be putting resources in to make sure this is tackled - it can't happen again."

Sharon's house
One resident, Sharon Williams, has decided to move because of the floods

Mr Morgan said he had support from the Welsh Government, the secretary of state for Wales and the first minister.

But in a tweet, Ms Wood urged people to sign a petition demanding politicians hold a full, independent inquiry.

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Presentational white space

The damage cost the local council about £15m.