Residents in Pontypridd have spoken of how the community lives in constant fear of flooding after several storms devastated the town in recent years.
It comes as an amber warning for rain was issued on Sunday night which led to a flood warning in the area. People living in Pontypridd told CJS News how this type of weather causes anxiety and worry for what could happen.
One mother-of-two , described how she was “in tears” after hearing of the flood warning and another resident spoke of how he “prays to God” each time it rains heavily.
Pontypridd was particularly affected by Storm Dennis in 2020 and then Storm Bert late last year which flooded around 438 properties and caused £8m of damage to infrastructure.
Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it had spent more than £100m since Storm Dennis on flood protection.
‘Terrifying’
Bethan Williams who lives in the area said, “It’s terrifying, every time it rains you want to check that it’s not going flood… it’s really scary”.
She described how she was “in tears” on Sunday after hearing of the yellow rain warning.
This week, she had flood barriers installed in her home to protect it from further damage after the street flooded five years ago during Storm Dennis.
‘Constant worry’
Ceri Haddock’s home was flooded during Storm Dennis.
“It was up to the windowsills in the house, we got fire-lifted out on a little raft. The house was ruined… the kitchen, the bathroom, everything from the ground floor”.
She’s “really glad” that she’s since been able to move out of the area.
She’s part of a local WhatsApp group where local residents post regular updates of the river levels. For the community, she knows the risk of the river flooding again is a “constant worry” for them.
Abdul Chowdry, a local business owner, is worried that the regular flooding is driving visitors away from the city centre. He says he “prays to God” every time it rains heavily.
The Senedd’s environment committee met last week to hear from the agencies involved in the response to Storm Bert and Storm Darragh, both of which caused widespread flooding in November and December 2024.
In its submission to the Senedd’s environment committee, Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it was looking at “how we can refine the council’s own internal warning systems and relevant protocols following what was considered to be late warnings” from both organisations.
The council said it had spent more than £100m since Storm Dennis on flood protection.
A Welsh government spokesperson said it had maintained “a record level of funding of £75m for our flood programme this year which will protect more than 45,000 homes”.
They said it was “so important that we continue to learn lessons from flooding” and that after Storm Bert “we immediately organised a meeting of first responders, risk management authorities and other agencies”.
“We are also looking at whether we can use National Flood Forum services more widely.”