Merthyr streets demolished as homes by river deemed too 'unsafe'

Homes near a river have been demolished.
The street was deemed to 'unsafe' to live in due to major flood risk.

The demolition of two streets in the Merthyr Vale has started after the homes were deemed too unsafe to live in because of a nearby river.

Taff Street and Crescent Street have been uninhabited for nearly two years due to the fast-flooding river Taff nearby.

It meant that families who had lived in the homes for more than 100 years had to move away from the area.

The homes have been empty for around two years.

Merthyr Council made the decision to proceed with a compulsory purchase order which would then allow them to demolish the houses after deciding the streets were unsafe due to the risk of flooding.

The demolition will see more than 100 Victorian terraced homes destroyed.

One resident, who had lived on the street for more than three decades said he had "very good memories" of living in the area.

"In the summer everyone would be out on their doorsteps on their deck chairs or garden chairs having a cup of tea and a catch up outside each others houses and kids would be in the park playing."

Families who lived in the two streets have now been rehomed, with Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council confirming that all homes are now vacant.

The demolition starts just weeks after the area was hit by serious flooding for the second time this year.

Large fences have been placed around the site to prevent people from entering the area.

The area was hit hard by Storm Dennis in February, with the emergency services rescuing hundreds of people in the village from their homes before further floods in the Rhondda region in June.