First residents return home after sinkhole nightmare

Some residents who live next to a giant sinkhole that opens onto a residential street have been allowed to go home.

After 11 days, Merthyr Tydfil Council has begun work on filling the pothole and residents of seven homes in Nant Morlais in Pant have been told it is finally safe to return home.

Among the first to return were Sheila and Meurig Price, who were relieved to be home after 10 days at their daughter’s house.

Merthyr Council said it hoped all homeowners would be home by the middle of next week, once the sinkhole was filled and utilities restored to the remaining homes.

About 30 houses were evacuated on 1 December and some residents were shifted to hotels.

Mr Price said it would be “good to be back home” and “the heating and television” would be working again.

He said he was relieved it looked like all residents would be home for Christmas.

“We are concerned but we had a meeting with the local authority last night and they have assured us that it will now be safer than ever before,” he said.

Merthyr Council said on Wednesday that a 6 ft (1.8 m) steel pipe had been inserted into the existing culvert to support the flow of any overflow water passing through it.

The hole was at its largest size on Wednesday morning – estimated to be about 40 feet (12 m) deep and 33 feet (10 m) across – but engineers reiterated that the site is now safe.

Engineers now plan to temporarily fill the hole with stone before coming up with a more permanent plan in the new year.

Merthyr Tydfil Council leader Brent Carter said: “Residents have been fantastic and really supportive. Everyone is desperate to get home for Christmas.”

“The site is as safe as possible. The culvert is in very good condition. Everything looks good.”

It emerged on Monday that the sinkhole had appeared The front of former Love Island winner Liam Reardon’s family home,

Reardon, who won the 2021 season of the ITV reality show with his partner Millie Court, said it was a “weird, unusual, crazy” experience, adding that it was “like we were in a movie”.

They said they had to “quickly pack and vacate the house” and were unable to return.

“Fortunately, none of us were injured… but it is a big inconvenience,” he said.

This family will now be waiting to return home after being left “almost homeless” before Christmas.