Local residents were left without water and faced having their village cut off after a huge sinkhole opened up in the middle of a road in Pontsticill, South Wales
A huge sinkhole opened up in the middle of a UK street – leaving locals without any water. Council officers and workmen rushed to the scene yesterday morning following reports of a burst pipe in Pontsticill, South Wales, which had led to the surface of the village’s main road caving in.
Eyewitnesses described seeing water spraying from the pipe, while a number of locals complained of having no water at a community meeting held later that day. The sinkhole also caused severe problems accessing the village, forcing the local council to open up a road that had been shut for several months due to landslides.
Drivers are temporarily allowed to use the other road between Brecon Mountain Railway and the water treatment works, which has been closed since November following two landslips during Storm Bert. One resident said on Tuesday: “The Pant road has been closed for five months with nothing happening. This morning a burst pipe at Penygarn has formed a huge sinkhole and closed the road to Cefncoed.
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“The only access to the village is now by the Clyn single track road. The council are opening the Pant road this evening (Tuesday evening) with traffic lights. A road that was too dangerous to walk on yesterday is okay to drive on today.”
A traffic light system is currently in place to ensure the route is safe to drive on, while the road affected by the sinkhole is closed for repairs.
In a statement, Merthyr Tydfil council said the road at Pant is safe at present to use due to the dry weather.
A spokesperson said: “This is a temporary diversion with two-way traffic lights and has been deemed safe to use in the short term following inspections and due to the warm, dry weather.”
Drone footage from the Pontsticill site on Wednesday showed the sinkhole being filled in by council officers at the scene following the fixing of the pipe, while the road remains closed.
This afternoon, Councillor Lisa Mytton announced that water had been reinstated to affected properties, and said the road will hopefully reopen by Friday evening.
In December, more than 30 homes were evacuated in the nearby village of Pant after a massive 50ft sinkhole appeared just yards from a reality TV star’s house.
The hole in the road appeared in front of the family home of former Love Island winner Liam Reardon.
Evacuated residents were eventually allowed to return home 11 days later after Merthyr Tydfil council began work to fill in the hole.