But as the clouds begin to lift and the skies begin to clear, residents begin to pick up the pieces and assess the damage. Now, the people of Carmarthenshire look to the local authorities to commence clean-up operations and assess what can be done to better prepare for the next big storm when it happens.
Residents have expressed on multiple occasions that better flood defences and contingency plans need to be in place across Carmarthenshire to reduce the impact that flooding has on homeowners and businesses.
Residents have said that It is ‘a nightmare’ and that in the winter, trees are always falling down across the roads. There is no doubt that the people of rural Carmarthenshire are of a strong mind that the trees need to be cut back in order to improve the safety of rural roads around the county.
The feeling is particularly strong in Cynwyl Elfed, a typical village in rural Carmarthenshire, situated on the A484 to New Castle-Emlyn. It serves as the main route for trade, commerce and general travel between Carmarthen and New Castle-Emlyn. Despite it’s significance as a key route, there are many issues that haunt the road, particularly in the area around Cwmduad, Cynwyl Elfed and Bronwydd.
One resident of Cynwyl Elfed said:
“Storm or no storm, this area has been plagued with issues every winter, and it seems that nothing is being done about it.
“How long before another person gets hurt along this road? When you’re driving along, you’re always looking up instead of ahead of you because you don’t know if a tree is going to suddenly fall on you.”
Another resident said: “You wouldn’t think this is a village with the speed some of these people drive at. Where are our traffic calming measures? Where are the speed bumps? Someone is going to get seriously hurt here one day.”
What has happened so far on the A484?
The A484 road has been the harbinger of falling trees, landslides and treacherous conditions that have put lives at risk for a number of years:
In October (2023), on the ‘top-road’ near Trevaughan, a landslide saw the road partially destroyed and rendered unstable for a number of days. Thankfully there were no injuries or vehicles involved. But it highlights the inadequacy of the rural roads around Carmarthen that are at high risk of serious damage as a result of storm and winter conditions.
In August (2023), another landslide brought trees and debris down onto the road near Derwydd Services. No one was involved or hurt but the road remained closed for a number of days whilst clean-up operations took place.
This week, as things seemed to go back to normal, water mains between Derwydd Services and Cynwyl Elfed burst, causing serious disruption as Welsh Water officials and Highway Maintenance closed off the road, causing gridlock and confusion. Lorries were forced to turn around in the village, causing congestion as they performed tight and difficult manoeuvres, coming dangerously close to walls and buildings. The Council issued an update on the A484 Cynwyl Elfed road closure:
“Dwr Cymru Welsh Water have repaired the leak and managed to keep the road under two-way lights, however the repair caused another burst in the main and has forced them to close the road now.
“Therefore the road has not re-opened at 3pm as initially proposed. They are going to be working through the night again to try to rectify this issue.”
In-between the landslides and road closures, the A484 has seen a significant number of trees falling into the road, cutting down power-lines and even crushing commuting cars, as did happen in November last year when a vehicle was crushed by a falling tree whilst leaving the Bronwydd area.
The road into and out of Cynwyl Elfed is in an appalling condition with the skidpad having vanished, gullies left uncleaned. There is no identifiable bus-stop in the village.
In the latest incident where the water main burst, chaos ensued with enormous articulated lorries either ignoring the road closure signs or having to manoeuvre 90 degree turns coming dangerously close to properties, and constant damage has occurred to the chapel wall and bollards.
It’s safe to say that the A484 is in need of urgent remedial work to improve safety or a major traffic alteration such as a restriction on heavy vehicles, or signage forcing them to detour onto the major roads around the area.
There is vocal frustration from residents and a clear dissatisfaction over the road conditions during the winter period
Council issue response to concerns of locals in Cynwyl Elfed
As a key route for trade and travel, it falls on the Council to ensure that commuters can safely travel from town to town. The smaller villages bear the full weight of the dangers, having to deal with Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), Agricultural Vehicles and general traffic, travelling at alarming speeds through what once was a quiet and idillic village.
Carmarthenshire News Online reached out to Carmarthenshire County Council for a comment and whether or not it planned on addressing some of these issues along the route. The Council issued the following response:
“In the last 5 years we have carried out a range of works on the A484 with significant investments in remediation measures. We have also pro-actively undertaken inspections and assessments to identify potential risks and put in place appropriate measures.
“In addition to regular programmes of maintenance, we have undertaken the following works to safeguard the resilience of the road and safety of the travelling public:
“11 Highway support schemes along the A484 Newcastle Emlyn to Carmarthen– Value £2,000,000. Of these 9 were between Cwmduad and Carmarthen.
“We have carried out annual geotechnical investigations on priority sections of the A484, including specialist assessment of rock slopes above the road.
“Undertaken a Principal inspection and Scour risk assessment of Cynwyl Elfed Bridge.
“Carried out repairs to Pont NantRing bridge.
“7 road resurfacing sections (Carmarthen to Cynwyl Elfed) value – £563,000
“2 road surface treatment schemes – value £50,000.”
Trees
“Trees along the A484 between Carmarthen and Cenarth were surveyed by a private Arboricultural Consultant this summer as it has been for the last 5 years.
“161 trees were highlighted this year as requiring work to reduce the risk they posed to highway users, 30 of these are between Cwmduad and Carmarthen.
“Most trees are diseased ash and all of them are privately owned so the responsibility of the landowner. We are in the process of contacting these owners so they are aware of their duty of care responsibilities.
“Where landowners can not be found or where known landowners refuse to address their trees, Carmarthenshire County Council will carryout the work using powers afforded to it by the Highways Act 1980.”
Anti-skid Surfacing on bend
“The High Friction Surfacing FS was placed many years ago due to a Skid Resistance issue with the road surface and not a safety issue, hence it only being in one lane.
“The village is now subject to a 20mph speed limit replacement of the HFS is now no longer necessary. According to our records no Personal Injury Collisions have occurred in the village during the last 5yrs (records up to 30/06/24), unless they have occurred in the last 5 months which we have no records for as yet.
“With respect to the road surface, no issues were encountered during our last safety inspection on 5th November 2024, however arrangements have been made for the road markings to be refreshed.”
Highway Surface Water Drainage / Gullies
“The gully emptying team are scheduled to undertake routine gully cleaning in the village this week. All gullies will be cleared of silt and a check made that the gullies and drainage pipes in the highway are working are serviceable.”
Highway Safety Inspections
“The A484 from Carmarthen through to Newcastle Emlyn and Cenarth is subject to monthly safety inspections. Any critical highway defects identified during the inspections are made safe within 2 hours with any safety related defects made safe within 24hrs.”
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