Residents to return home after 40ft sinkhole appeared in Merthyr street

The local authority has confirmed some residents will be able to return to their homes as soon as today, whilst others may have to wait until next week. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

A local council says residents will be able to return home for Christmas after a giant sinkhole appeared outside homes in Merthyr Tydfil on Sunday, 1 December.

The 40ft cavity, which increased in size last week, first appeared outside homes on Nant Morlais, due to a collapsed culvert following Storm Bert six days earlier.

Thirty homes were evacuated meaning residents were forced into hotels and Airbnbs, only allowed to return to their properties to retrieve clothing and certain other items.

A huge sinkhole has appeared on a south Wales housing estate leading to 30 homes being evacuated on 1 December. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

Today, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council began filling the void with rocks in order to allow residents home as soon as possible.

The local authority confirmed some residents will be able to return as soon as today, whilst others may have to wait until next week.

However, the work currently being conducted is a temporary fix and more will have to be done in the new year to ensure a permanent solution.

The installed pipe is a temporary fix until a design team revisits the site in the new year. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

The local authority confirmed that a 6ft diameter pipe, 9 meters long, has been placed in the sinkhole. It will act as as an overflow pipe to catch excess water if pumps can't cope with the flow.

The hole will be filled temporarily, with a design team constructing and implementing a permanent and safe structure in the new year.

Work began today (11 December) to fill in the sinkhole. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

Speaking to ITV Wales, resident Meurig Price said: "It's not a pleasant thing to do, leaving your house, locking up and not knowing when you're going to come back. Fortunately we've been lucky and able to stay with my daughter.

"The local authority have been brilliant at keeping in touch. Every day we've had a phone call keeping us up to date, so we've been counting down the days."

He added: "We attended a meeting last night and we were given assurances that said it is safer now than it has ever been, so hopefully the remedial work they do after Christmas will put it back to right then and hopefully get everything back to normal."

Residents of houses 1-7 will be able to return to their properties today, whilst those remaining will be able to return next week. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

Brent Carter, leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, said: "We've had some really positive news, houses 1-7 have been allowed back home today, they've had the all clear from Welsh Water. So, they started moving in which is great news.

"We have work starting too. We've had stone delivered early this morning, and will be delivered all through the day. We're waiting for a conveyer belt to come in and the hole will start to be filled up with stone to make it a safe temporary base. And hopefully then, by the middle of next week, everybody will be able to move back into their homes for Christmas, which is fantastic news."

Mr Carter praised the residents as "brilliant" despite it having been "a traumatic experience" for them.

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