Flooded Skewen residents in 'constant fear' of a repeat

People whose properties were badly damaged by flooding after a mine shaft "blew out" have said they are in constant fear of another flood.

About 80 people were evacuated because of flooding related to mine works in January in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot.

Many residents are months away from returning to their homes, while other said trying to get help from the Coal Authority is a "nightmare."

The Coal Authority said it should have completed its work on site by August.

Meanwhile, a campaign led by Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock is being launched on Thursday to ensure "not a single victim of the awful flooding in Skewen is left out of pocket".

Emma Jones, 42, lives on Skewen's worst hit street, Goshen Park, where the blow out happened.

"It feels like an absolute living nightmare. Absolute nightmare," she said.

"I think because it was about five months ago, people have forgotten and think 'oh they must be all right now', but we're not, it's continuing."

Her two daughters were rescued from the family home by firefighters while she was at work.

Initially, she said families like hers who were made homeless overnight were offered lots of support, but feels things have changed.

"We did have a lot of help," said Mrs Jones.

"But it seems like that help has really faded now and people are feeling really angry because we are not being given answers, we are not being kept up to date with information of the work that's going on by our houses."

Asked whether she feels the Coal Authority are helping enough, she said: "Absolutely not."

"It would just be nice to know what their plan is for today, tomorrow, next week. Up-to-date information, that's what we would really like to have."

Mrs Jones said there is constant anxiety that homes could flood again due to the damage done to the drainage system in the area.

"When there's heavy rain there's a lot of standing water around here," she added.

"Water is managing to get back into people's houses, not a great deal but still, once your house is dry you don't want to see more water getting in, and the thought of it happening again is giving everybody great anxiety."

BBC Wales understands the Coal Authority has had to buy at least one home in order to install a new water management system.

Natasha and Karl Jones live with their two children at the bottom of Goshen Park. Mrs Jones, her daughter and the family cat were also rescued by the fire service.

The incident has left her seven-year-old "traumatised" and having to "go through counselling".

Although they've recently returned home, the scars remain.

"It's been awful," she said. "Obviously we're living in a building site at the moment because everyone is having so much work done, and we understand that, but every bang you hear you think 'oh my gosh has it happened again?'

"When you hear running water, you think 'has the water come back? It is unsettling."

The family is one of many locked in a battle with their insurance companies and the Coal Authority.

The Authority is not accepting liability for the damage caused by the flood and its £500 offer to reinstate ruined gardens was branded "disgusting". It has since increased the offer to £2,000 but that has been described as "not on".

"People just want to go back home," Mrs Jones added. "They just want their homes to be as they were, and why should we be fighting and trying to chase around everyone, just trying to get everything as was?"

"It's just like living through hell, for us and our neighbours, it's a daily battle trying to get everything sorted. Nothing is easy."

Residents also fear the drainage system is so badly damaged there could be another flood.

Theresa Dalling's bungalow on Dynevor Road escaped the water by inches.

But since January, water has been seeping through the retaining wall next to her drive, and a large volume of water is constantly gushing through the drain in her back garden, even during dry weather.

"We don't know where it's coming from, we've had no answers," she said.

they don't know where it's coming from. Welsh Water say it's not theirs, the Coal Authority say it's not theirs, well who's is it then?"

"It wasn't there before. In the 22 years that we've had this bungalow we've never had water on the drive. Where's it coming from?"

She added her mental health, with which she was already suffering, has deteriorated badly.

The Coal Authority said its "sympathy remains" with those affected by the flooding on 21 January.

"Whilst the Coal Authority are not liable for the flooding we recognise that it has had a significant impact on many homes and developed the Skewen support policy to offer whatever practical help and support we can within the bounds of the legislation and guidance we have to operate within," a spokesman said.

"We have just completed a general clean-up of garden areas and our teams are now scheduling outdoor remediation works with each resident as we agree the full schedule with them.

"We expect that work on site will be completed by the end of August and we have ensured that residents have access to their homes since 6 February 2021 to allow repairs to be undertaken by their insurers in as timely a fashion as possible."