Neath: Flooded shop owner 'heartbroken' over devastation

The owner of a shop hit by flooding twice in two years has said she is "devastated" and "heartbroken" as a clean-up operation begins.

Gaynor Lloyd said her antiques shop in Neath was "ruined inside and out" after torrential rain hit parts of south Wales on Wednesday and Thursday.

Flooding in the Melyn area of the town has been blamed on a collapsed culvert by a local councillor.

Neath Port Talbot council said it needed more money for flood defences.

A yellow weather warning for heavy rain was in place for south and west Wales on Thursday.

South Wales Police said the A474 Neath was "completely flooded" that evening from Castle Bingo to the Esso garage on Mile End Row.

Ms Lloyd said her Vintage 7 shop had not yet fully reopened following the previous time it was flooded.

"I'm devastated as the exact same culvert flooded into my business in August 2020," she said.

"And due to ongoing refurbishment, I have yet to fully reopen."

She said she would struggle to pay to get dehumidifiers going and did not have insurance "due to past flooding".

"Someone is to blame on this, someone should have seen the weather warnings," Ms Lloyd said.

"I can't believe it, I am heartbroken."

Neath east councillor Dan Thomas claimed a culvert was the cause and that not enough "priority" had been given to street maintenance.

"Reports from highway and drainage said there was lots of debris washed down from the valleys blocking the culvert," he said.

"With the water pressure from the rain on top, it collapsed in the middle.

"We need to work together as a council and find out why this area in Melyn keeps getting flooded," the Plaid Cymru councillor added.

Neath Port Talbot council said a culvert on St Catherine's Close "overtopped after the trash screens became smothered".

It said council workers were unable to keep up with the "volumes of debris being washed down and with the increasing deluge their efforts were overwhelmed".

It added people living on the close reported seeing a "bow wave descending the brook", engulfing the culvert entrance in a mass of water and debris.

A £100,000 improvement scheme was completed on the culvert just last year, the council said.

"It is apparent a much more substantial major flood alleviation scheme is required for the area as a whole," it added, "and work on an initial business case for consideration by Welsh government for funding support has begun."

The heavy rains also caused flooding in other parts of Wales, with the Aubrey Arms in Ystradgynlais, Powys forced to close temporarily.

Staff said the floodwater started flowing in on Wednesday evening.

"We may have loss of earnings, which with rising inflation and costs going higher and higher, is difficult for us," said Hans Erive, the operations director of Red Dragon pubs, which owns the Aubrey Arms

"It's a bitter pill to swallow to be honest."

Powys council said it had responded to reports of flooding in Ystradgynlais "where significant localised heavy rainfall had caused a number of culverts to be overwhelmed".

The River Tawe went from flood alert to flood warning in just 24 minutes, the council added, saying "prompt action" by highways, Natural Resources Wales and emergency planning officials meant floodgates were closed to prevent extra river flooding.

More rain and strong winds have also been forecast for the weekend. Several flood alerts have been issued by Natural Resources Wales.

Swansea council said it cancelled its annual firework display on Saturday because of the weather forecast.