Neath Port Talbot Council is aiming to begin work on a £700,000 drainage project in Ystalyfera in July 2021 which will reduce the flood risk to residents of the Varteg Estate and also benefit the surrounding community.

With funding from the Welsh Government, the project will involve works to the Glan Yr Afon Culvert in Ystalyfera, close to the Asda superstore, to stop surface water backing up in Varteg Road during periods of high rainfall.

The work will take around 12 weeks to complete with approximately 140 metres of new pipework being installed.

Throughout the construction process, the council and its contractors will try to minimise disruption to local residents as much as possible but some temporary disruption will unfortunately be inevitable.

Cllr Mike Harvey, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Engineering, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce the progress on this important scheme which is being delivered to safeguard local residents and increase the community’s resilience against the risk of flooding.

“The Welsh Government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) strategy, which the Council is helping to deliver locally, provides a longer term vision of how we can better protect and prepare homes and businesses from flooding and coastal change in the context of a changing climate.”