Ystalyfera landslip home owners appeal order to leave

Three householders told to leave their homes on safety grounds following landslides are appealing against the decision by Neath Port Talbot council.

A property tribunal has been told that land at Ystalyfera must be "assumed to be unstable unless proven otherwise".

Residents were told to leave a row of 10 terraced homes after mounds of earth slipped down the hillside in August.

Tribunal chairman Chris McNall said the key issue for its consideration was whether hazards existed or not.

Council lawyer Stephen Cottle told the hearing in Cardiff there was an imminent risk to occupants and the slope needed to be stabilised.

The council argues that houses at Cyfyng Road should not be inhabited until a structural engineer has carried out a full assessment and any recommended work had been completed.

Celfin Davies, a senior environmental health officer for Neath Port Talbot council, told the tribunal he had identified new cracks along the rear of one of the homes since residents were ordered to leave.

He said the decision to issue emergency prohibition notices was not taken lightly.

"We didn't want to take this action, we wanted the owners to try and rectify the matter with their insurance companies," he told the hearing.

Cross-examining Mr Davies, some of the residents told him they had fenced off the rear of their properties.

Another said he had connected his sewer to an unaffected drain.

Mr Davies told the tribunal that was not enough to ease concerns.

He said neither the local authority nor Welsh Water would put their staff behind the houses to assess the situation.

He told the tribunal the way forward was for homeowners to collectively appoint a structural engineer to report on the state of the ground and carry out any recommended works.

The tribunal is expected to resume in the new year.