The house seemed perfect for Amanda Hopkins and her family. It was large enough for her four children and close to other relatives, and she liked the view of hills and river from the kitchen windows.
Twelve months after moving in, Hopkins is in despair after she, her children and her neighbours were suddenly ordered to leave their row of terraced houses perched on the lower slopes of a mountain in the Swansea Valley in south Wales amid fears that their homes could collapse at any moment following a series of landslides.
“It was shocking, really shocking,” said Hopkins, “We were told to quickly pack up our possessions and get out. We haven’t been able to go back since.”
Since fleeing last month, Hopkins and two of her children, Rowan and Lowri, both 14, have been crammed into a small B&B room sharing just two beds. Her two older children are sofa-surfing with friends. “It’s broken our family up,” said Hopkins. “I don’t think we’ll get back in ever now.”
Prohibition notices have been served on 10 homes on Cyfyng Road in the village of Ystalyfera, meaning residents must leave or face prosecution and the prospect of hefty fines. The alarming letters thrust into their hands from Neath Port Talbot council spelled out that its experts considered that there was a “category one risk to life” and they had to leave immediately.
Next week, residents of another 150 homes are to learn at a public meeting at the village school whether their homes too may be in danger from what locals call the “moving mountain”. “The whole village is in a state of stress,” said Hopkins, a 47-year-old swimming instructor. “Life is on hold.”
Rising high above Ystalyfera, the moving mountain is actually called Allt-y-Grug (hill of heather). With wonderful views across to the Brecon Beacons, it is popular with hikers.
But more pertinently to the villagers below, it is riddled with old mine workings, quarries and tunnels bearing testimony to the village’s remarkable industrial past. In the mid-19th century the area was the site of to 16 mills, 40 furnaces and a string of coal mines. The Ystalyfera works was once reputed to be the largest manufacturer of tinplate in the world.
By the start of the 20th century the area was subject to frequent landslides and in the 1950s and 60s a number of properties had to be evacuated and demolished. The crumbling remains of this “ghost village” can be found in the woods south of Ystalyfera and older residents talk of being woken by the rumble of the mountain moving at night.
The landslides continued into the 21st century and in 2012 a major slip blocked a road for several months. Until now the landslides took place in zones defined by the local authority as high-risk areas – and during the winter months.
Worryingly, of this year’s four slips, two have been in summer months and the one that directly led to the evacuation was a low-risk zone. It took with it garden bushes, patio furniture and clothes lines. Long gardens were suddenly transformed into much shorter ones and residents faced with a sheer drop into the valley far below.
Rob Jones, leader of Neath Port Talbot council, said he felt he had no choice but to sanction drastic action. “Independent experts told us there was an imminent risk of loss of life,” he said. “We haven’t taken this decision on a whim.”
Jones said the Grenfell Tower fire was a reminder to local authorities that they had to take proactive action when there was any hint that lives could be at risk. The shadow of the Aberfan disaster, in which 144 people died, 116 of them children, half a century ago, also hangs heavy over south Wales.
“If a tragedy did occur I would the one in the Newsnight studio being asked: ‘Why didn’t you do something about it,’” said Jones.
The council has been using drones to reassess the safety of the area and drilling bore holes to try to pinpoint water levels beneath the village. But some areas are already deemed so dangerous that engineers are not allowed event to investigate let alone carry out remedial work.
Jones said: “There is no engineering solution to prevent the mountain from moving. It has been moving since 1897 and continues to move.” He will not shy away from even more dramatic action. “If I have to demolish 150 houses to save one life I would do it.”
The problem of extreme weather events leading to landslips is causing headaches for local authorities across the country. Cornwall council was criticised last year after a woman died when tonnes of mud and rubble fell on to her rented home during torrential rain. There have been a series of tragedies and near misses when sea cliffs have crumbled.
Not all the residents of Ystalyfera believe the council has got it right. Debbie Pain, 62, whose home is a few doors down from the terrace that has been evacuated, said she did not understand why cars, buses and lorries were still being allowed to trundle along the road a metre or so from the front doors of the homes that have been cleared. “That doesn’t add up for me. I think a lot of people are confused. There’s an air of despondency and fear here.”
John Emery, 65, who lives in the opposite terrace, said the rumour was that he and his neighbours would be next to be told to pack up and leave. He wonders if the homes are being cleared because plans are afoot to build a new housing estate in the valley floor beneath the terrace – which the council denies strongly.
Some of those who have been ordered to leave are simply refusing to go and believed the council is over-reacting.
Paul Harris, a retired occupational therapist, 50, said: “I’m staying and they will have to drag me out to get me to leave. These houses are solidly built and only the gardens have been affected. I don’t feel I’m risking my life.”
