Flood-affected Welsh landlords working with tenants hit by Storm Bert

Keiron Montague, executive director of communities at Trivallis, said: “Flooding has brought significant challenges, and our teams have been working tirelessly to support those impacted. Several homes have been affected and we are working directly with these tenants to support them through this difficult period.”

Pontypridd was also devastated by Storm Dennis in 2020, and Mr Montague said the association had applied lessons from previous floods and was conducting “estate-wide checks” to identify and address any unreported issues.

In the wake of the flooding, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council declared a major incident. In an update on Monday, the authority described how river levels in some areas rose higher than during Storm Dennis after a month’s worth of rain fell in a very short period.

The authority’s contact centre took nearly 600 calls from residents reporting issues and it estimated 200 properties were flooded. A public lido was also damaged and a footbridge that was being replaced after damage in Storm Dennis was washed away by the river surge.

Further east, Monmouthshire was badly hit with schools and roads closed and NRW issuing two severe flood warnings for the border village of Skenfrith and nearby Osbaston, where the river Monnow burst its banks. The warnings have since been lifted.

One tenant living in a Monmouthshire Housing Association property in Skenfrith had to be temporarily moved to alternative accommodation due to floods, the provider confirmed. 

Meanwhile, in the Llanelly Hill area of Abergavenny, another tenant was also impacted. The landlord said it had provided large dehumidifiers for the property to help with the clean-up, and that it was providing the tenants with ongoing support.

Around the UK, several people have died since the storm hit on Friday. Other badly hit areas include Wiltshire, where the River Avon burst its banks and flooded Chippenham town centre, and Bradford-on-Avon.

In Worcestershire, the market town of Tenbury Wells was also flooded after the Kyre Brook rose and caused a wall to collapse.

On Monday afternoon, the fire and rescue service in Northamptonshire declared a major incident in the face of heavy flooding across the county. A severe flood warning remained in force on Monday afternoon at the River Nene at Billing Aquadrome holiday park on the outskirts of Northampton. 

Some people remain stuck there, and the fire brigade said “the evacuation of the Billing Aquadrome affects approximately 1,000 people”.