A large sinkhole has recently appeared on a residential street in Merthyr Tydfil, causing significant disruption and safety concerns for local residents.
The collapse, believed to have been triggered by heavy rainfall and possible subsurface instability, has left a sizeable cavity in the road, forcing authorities to close off the area. Engineers are currently assessing the site to determine the cause and plan necessary repairs, while residents have expressed worries about potential damage to nearby properties and delays in reopening the street. Emergency services are advising caution in the surrounding area until further notice.
An update on the Nant Morlais sinkhole from Councillor Brent Carter, Leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council:
“Our priority today is to stop the flow of water going into the culvert so that our engineers can do interim stabilisation works to stop it expanding further. We can then carry out a safe inspection.
“The sinkhole has resulted from the sheer volume of material that was washed down from the mountain during Storm Bert. At around 6am on Sunday 24th November three separate households from Nant Morlais heard rumblings and bangs, which at the time they thought was thunder. However, from our understanding that is when the collapse happened and it has taken 6 days to migrate to the surface.
“We understand that residents from the street are keen to know when they will be able to return to their homes, however we will not be able to give a timeline on this until a thorough inspection of the culvert has taken place to eliminate any further risk. In the meantime, residents from the 29 properties that were evacuated are being supported by our Housing Officers.
“Safety is our absolute priority.”
