Heads of the Valleys: Road construction leaves 'cracks in homes', say locals

  • Video report from Rural Affairs Correspondent Hannah Thomas

People living near the new Heads of the Valleys road say their properties have been damaged and they have been treated "absolutely appallingly" because of the ongoing building work.

The dual carriageway has been under construction for a number of years, with work on the current section, Dowlais Top to Hirwaun, starting in 2021.

It is due to finish in mid-2025 and is estimated to cost more than a billion pounds to complete but should improve traffic and road safety.

However for locals, the disruption building work is causing to their daily lives has left many at their wit's end - with cracks in their homes and high levels of dust outside.

The Welsh Government said it is working with the company in charge of building the new road, Future Valleys Construction, and the local authority to try and fix the issues being raised.

Daryl Wilkins claims the vibrations of the road works have caused cracks in every bedroom of his home and the garage outside.

There are visible cracks throughout Daryl's home, including the garage, which he says were caused by vibrations from the building works. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

He said he does not want financial compensation, simply for the damage to be fixed.

Daryl said: "Repair the damage that they've done to my property. That's all. Nothing else."For his wife Ann, the dust is a huge problem and means she cannot sit in the garden or peg the washing out. The level of dust is even putting them out of pocket, as they say they have to pay for the windows to be cleaned regularly.

"It costs me £18 a month to have my windows cleaned," she said.

"Within two days they're back dirty again. You get really fed up of it.

"You're wiping it down every day, and it's back in the same place the following day."

Noise is another problem for those living in the nearby area. One of the causes of this has been a piling machine, which is used to make road foundations stable and strong enough to support vehicles.

Daryl and Ann's daughter, Julie Wilkins said: "Constant noise, constant piling within an arms width of my parents' garden.

"It needs to happen to stop accidents from happening and people dying on the road, but the way Future Valleys Construction have gone about it for the residents has been absolutely appalling."Future Valleys Construction said it is a considerate company and many jobs have been created throughout the project while the Welsh Government said it is working with Future Valleys Construction and the council to try and resolve these issues as soon as possible.

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