A vintage and antiques shop was devastated by the flooding that hit Neath on Thursday, November 3. Vintage 7 was one of the places hit hardest when a culvert failed as thunderstorms hit large areas of south Wales.
Floodwater also poured into people's homes and cars were submerged in the street, including one man's blue Tesla which shut down and started floating.
On Briton Ferry Road, devastated vintage shop owner Gaynor Lloyd filmed the shocking flood and got emotional as dirty water destroyed the stone wall surrounding her garden and gushed into her shop. She said her insurance had refused to cover future external flooding after the last time it happened.
Read more: 'My Tesla started floating off as the street flooded and I was stuck inside'
Ms Lloyd said she had still not properly reopened since the same culvert caused flooding in her Vintage 7 shop in August 2020. And yesterday at around 7pm, cascading water from the floods brought down the old stone walls of her garden which she said have stood there since 1884.
For the second time in two years, the lower floor of the shop has been flooded with about 4-6 inches of water. The water in the ground floor of her shop went up to her skirting boards.
Speaking about the flood from her vintage shop as firefighters came in to drain the floodwater in her cellar, a tearful Ms Lloyd said: "My fear was that it was going to come in from the front. My insurance has an exclusion on external and internal flooding. I'm just thinking about how much the de-humidifiers are going to cost. I've never seen anything like it, it's horrendous."
Residents in terraced houses on Mile End Row were left watching helplessly as water poured into their homes. They said it took just 30 minutes for their homes to flood.
One resident of Mile End Row, who did not want to be named, said everything inside their home was damaged and the water was two inches deep across the ground floor of their house. "We thought this issue had been fixed thirty years ago," the resident said. You can read more stories about Neath here.
Elizabeth Thomas, 32, has lived on Mile End Row for six years and said the road has flooded before but not as badly as it did yesterday. One of her neighbours knocked on her door yesterday evening and told her the water was getting closer to their houses, Ms Thomas said she then started panicking and chucking items up the stairs to protect her belongings from the flooding.
Ms Thomas lives with her eight-year-old son and said she is just grateful they are both safe. She passed her son to her sister through the window and stayed at the house as water seeped in and ruined her new carpets that she had just paid £100 for.
Read more: Air ambulance lands at medical emergency in Briton Ferry, Neath
Another resident, Gareth Roberts, 48, said he went out to do some shopping yesterday evening and when he returned he could not get to his house. Mr Roberts has a disability and did not attempt to get to his house when he saw the flooding and checked himself into a local hotel."
"I couldn't even get to the door of my house. It only took about half an hour for it to flood." Mr Roberts, who was waiting outside his home for a social housing inspector to arrive today to asses the damage, said he has no electricity and the floor is covered in water. On how he is coping after the damage caused by the flood he said:
"That's life. We've got the cost-of-living crisis and now this on top! I'm just glad I've got house compensation. Some cars on the road had water to above the windows. This is the worst I've seen it flooded."
Read more:
Road closed as floodwaters pour over wall amid torrential rain
Man had glass removed from his eye after partner smashed vase over his head
Leigh Halfpenny leaves Wales' captain's run amid worrying development before New Zealand game
Welsh Government sets date for 50mph speed cameras on the M4 at Newport to start issuing fines
Person dies after incident on train tracks at Pye Corner, Newport
