Roads and railway lines were closed, homes were evacuated and cars were submerged in mud when several landslides hit areas of the UK following Storm Bert last weekend.
The latest named storm brought heavy, persistent rain and strong winds across many parts of the UK last Saturday (23 November) and Sunday (24 November), especially in the west.
Wales was particularly badly affected and experienced a month’s worth of rainfall in just a few hours.
As the storm tracked away from Wales on Sunday, 52 flood warnings were still in force across the country. The bad weather triggered landslides in many areas.
Landslides in Wales
In the former mining community of Cwmtillery in South Wales, residents were evacuated from their homes after a collapsed coal tip led to a large landslide that left streets, homes and cars covered in mud.
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council confirmed that the landslide was a “singular washout of a former coal tip in the area”.
The former coal tip in Cwmtillery is classified as category D, which is considered the highest risk coal tip.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to ensuring our coal tip communities are safe, both now and in the future.
“We are working closely with Blaenau Gwent council and the Coal Authority to provide support to the residents and to ensure that the area is safe.”
The council said in a Facebook update: “Council teams and our contractors have started initial remedial works to address the immediate issues and work towards a safe return for residents. We will update on this work when we can.
“We are continuing to carry out investigations at the site and are working closely with our partners in Welsh Government and the Coal Authority. We will make a fuller statement on this in due course. "
There are also unconfirmed reports of a “sinkhole” that has opened up on the ground in front of a sports centre in Cwmtillery.
In Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, near Llangollen in north Wales, a house was evacuated following a landslide. BBC Wales reported that five adults and five children had to be rescued from the building.
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service received a call at 1.53pm on Saturday about the incident, and five crews – one from Llangollen, Ruthin and Johnstown and two from Wrexham – attended the landslide.
“Firefighters assisted occupants from a property affected, which was flooded with water and debris. The property has sustained substantial damage due to the force of the landslide,” the service said.
Many roads across Wales were also seriously impacted by Storm Bert, which caused both flooding and landslides.
A mountain landslide shut a main road from Treorchy to Nantymoel in both directions on Sunday. Cymmer Fire Station announced the closure on the A4061 on Bwlch Road in Rhondda Cynon Taf at around 8am on Sunday.
In Powys, there was a landslide on the road from Bwlch y Groes towards Lake Vyrnwy.
The railway network in Wales was similarly badly affected by the storm, with several landslides reported across the network.
A landslide near Pontypool, Torfaen, led to the closure of the Newport to Shrewsbury railway line, Network Rail said. The Llanhilleth-Ebbw Vale remains closed following a washout.
The railway line between Hereford and Abergavenny stations was temporarily closed after a landslide came down on the line near Little Mill Junction at around 6am on Monday (25 November).
Across the UK
Across the country, many trains were suspended due to flooding and some lines were closed due to landslides on the track.
In Ulverston, Cumbria, Network Rail's on site team has been working to repair damage to a section of the railway after heavy flooding caused a cutting to collapse, bringing around 240t of earth onto the tracks.
Network Rail attended the site last week to stem the flow of a nearby stream, which had found its way onto the railway. The location was being carefully monitored and a speed restriction was in place as a safety precaution.
Over the weekend, Storm Bert brought strong winds, snow and extreme rainfall to Cumbria. With a rise in temperature on Saturday morning, the snow melted and joined the watercourse. The already delicate location was overwhelmed by the volume of water, which flooded the tracks and damaged the earth of the cutting.
Elsewhere in south Cumbria, train services were unable to operate between Carnforth and Barrow-in-Furness in both directions due to flooding and landslides on the line.
In Northampton, all trains were suspended due to severe flooding caused by the River Nene bursting its banks.
In Yorkshire, one of the main routes into Dentdale suffered from a landslide on Sunday, after heavy rain and snow melt overnight. Photos on social media of the landslide at Dent Head show large amounts of soil and trees washed out from under the southbound carriageway.
In Northern Ireland, a landslide was reported on Glenshesk Road in Glens of Antrim. The BBCreported that the large landslide happened on Saturday, when a roadside verge was washed away during the storm.
It is the second landslide to have occurred on the road after one on another section of the road in March of this year. The road has been partially closed for the past eight months because of the previous incident.
Alliance member of the legislative assembly (MLA) for North Antrim, Sian Mulholland, said: “The situation across both roads is absolutely dire, and I know this is putting huge strain on residents, whether it’s having to replace 6 tyres in the space of a few months or having to make a 20 minute one way detour, it’s not ideal to say the least.”
In the South West, the storm caused damage and travel disruption in Somerset.
A landslide at Eggwood Hill between Merriott and Lopen closed the road yesterday (26 November). Somerset Council has said that a clear-up operation and further assessment of the area is being organised “as soon as possible”.
As of Monday, four roads across the county remained closed due to flooding and downed trees.
Elsewhere in the region, photos posted to social media show flooding of low lying land around Limpley Stoke in Wiltshire – near to where National Highways is carrying out a scheme to stabilise an embankment on the A36 Warminster Road.
National Highways has been contacted about the impact of flooding on the scheme.
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