Villagers in a South Wales cul-de-sac have been evacuated after an enormous sinkhole, believed to be about 50ft deep, suddenly opened up. The area around Nant Morlais in Pant, Merthyr Tydfil, has seen around 30 homes cleared out and officials are urging people to stay away.
A local resident said a drone had been flown over the hole and from this, a depth of 40ft to 50ft was initially estimated. He reporting hearing large falls of debris into what sounds like a “fast-flowing stream.” Local councillor David Hughes told BBC Wales that a collapsed culvert could be to blame.
The abyss got bigger as rain hammered down overnight, after Storm Bert caused flooding across the country.
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Residents said the hole first began to appear on the road on Saturday afternoon, November 30. Initially it wasn’t much more than a foot across, with cracks in the surrounding surface, but by Sunday morning it had begun engulfing the entire road.
One bungalow’s driveway has even started to crumble into the depths, reports North Wales Live.
Homeowner Stephen Regan, 55, who only moved in a year ago, expressed his shock saying: “It was very scary, you could hear it rumbling and collapsing when it was happening. I just want to get back in the house but we don’t know what the situation is at the moment. My fear is my house could go… I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
(Image: PA)
“The culvert has collapsed and water has just washed it all away. It’s an older generation on this street so they are scared.”
South Wales Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Merthyr Tydfil Council were alerted to the crisis on Sunday morning. The police said: “The road is currently closed in both directions. Please avoid the area.
The council staff thanked people for offers of help but said “no further help or support is needed at this time”. They said safety was the main priority and advised people to keep away from the area.
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