Councillor warns culvert collapse could leave Cwmbwrla at risk over Christmas

At the full council meeting on 6 November 2025, Cllr Peter Black CBE (Liberal Democrats, Cwmbwrla) told members that homes had once again been inundated after water levels rose higher than in previous floods. He cautioned that until the culvert is rebuilt, the risk of repeat flooding remains.

Black said one of the pumps failed early during the storm, leaving the council “without control of the situation,” and urged urgent measures to provide extra resilience for residents.

Praise for drainage and clean‑up teams

Other councillors acknowledged the scale of the challenge and praised highways and drainage staff for their response. Andrew Stevens (Labour, Gorseinon) said teams had been called in to deal with over 40,000 drains across Swansea, working through the night to keep roads open. Cllr Peter May (Uplands Party, Uplands) described their efforts as “A1,” noting floodwaters dissipated within hours thanks to their work.

Council Leader Rob Stewart (Labour, Morriston) also thanked staff, stressing that officers had worked “diligently” to keep services running during the storm.

Their praise echoed earlier coverage by Swansea Bay News, which reported how council teams worked through the night to clear debris and reopen the Cwmbwrla roundabout following the floods. The clean‑up operation was described as “superb,” with staff ensuring the busy junction was made safe for traffic again.

Collapsed culvert at Cwmfelin Club

Council Leader Rob Stewart (Labour, Morriston) stressed that the repeated flooding at Cwmbwrla was not caused by blocked drains but by the collapsed culvert on private land near the Cwmfelin Club:

“There is a specific issue relating to a collapsed culvert on private land. It cannot handle the water it would normally take away from that area.”

Cllr Peter Black CBE (Liberal Democrats, Cwmbwrla) warned that the repair work will take months, leaving residents exposed to further risk if temporary pumps are overwhelmed:

“This is not going to be fixed before Christmas. This is not going to be fixed until January at the very earliest and it’s going to have more torrential rain events like that again. And we cannot sustain another flood like that in Cwmbwrla if we can help it.”

Wider impact across Swansea

Councillors noted flooding affected wards across the city, with leaf fall adding to the challenge of keeping gullies clear. Swansea Council has already urged residents to help by reporting hotspots where leaves are piling up on pavements and roads, as cleansing teams step up their seasonal clear‑up.

Over recent weeks, crews have removed hundreds of tonnes of leaves across the city, with extra resources diverted from other cleansing work to keep drains clear and footpaths safe. A new leaf‑sucking and mulching machine is being used to vacuum up large piles of leaves and shred them into mulch for disposal — allowing teams to cover more ground more quickly.

Cllr Cyril Anderson, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said the new kit would help crews lift even more leaves efficiently, but warned:

“It only takes a couple of days of wind and rain to see a further build‑up, particularly in areas with lots of trees.”

Residents are being encouraged to report problem areas directly to the cleansing team so they can be prioritised for clearance.

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Cwmbwrla roundabout reopens after flooding clean‑up

Highways teams worked day and night to clear debris and pump away water, with a final clean‑up completed earlier today. A road sweeper lorry carried out the finishing touches before the route was reopened to traffic.

The council thanked the public for their patience during the closure and praised the efforts of staff who ensured the busy junction could be made safe again.

Side view of the road sweeper lorry with brushes in action during the Cwmbwrla flood clean‑up.Closeup of the road sweeper lorry from the rear, showing brushes clearing debris at Cwmbwrla roundabout.A van passes pumping equipment as it exits the reopened Cwmbwrla roundabout towards Carmarthen Road and the city centre.The reopened Cwmbwrla roundabout standing empty after floodwaters were cleared and the route made safe.

Responsibility for repairs

While the roundabout is now open, the council has stressed that the underlying repair work is not its responsibility. The culvert and sewer beneath the junction require major repairs, which will involve a 12‑foot excavation once the demolition of the nearby Cwmfelin Club has been completed.

Responsibility for those works lies with the members of the Cwmfelin Club and their insurer, not Swansea Council. Until the repairs are carried out, the risk of flooding remains. Officials cautioned that if heavy rain overwhelms the pumps, water could return to the junction.

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Council blames collapsed culvert — not drains — for Cwmbwrla flooding

Heavy duty pumps ‘overwhelmed’

In a Facebook post, the council said the culvert lies around 12 metres below the surface and remains the responsibility of the club’s representatives to repair. While demolition of the building is almost complete, the next stage will be to excavate and fix the culvert.

In the meantime, the council has deployed heavy duty pumping equipment to divert water at the blockage point. But it admitted that during periods of heavy rainfall, such as this week, the pumps “can become overwhelmed and simply cannot cope with the volume of water flowing beneath the road.”

Public frustration acknowledged

The authority said it understood public anger at repeated flooding at the roundabout, but stressed its intervention could only have “limited impact” until the culvert is repaired.

“This situation will only be resolved when the private culvert has been unblocked and repaired, allowing water to flow freely through the network. Until then, the location remains at risk of further flooding during severe weather,” the council said.

Drains not to blame, says council

The council also rejected suggestions that blocked gullies or drains were behind the flooding. It said all watercourses in the immediate area had been checked and cleared, and would continue to be maintained.

Flooded Cwmbwrla roundabout in Swansea, looking towards pumping equipment from the Cwmfelin side of the railway bridge (Image: Swansea Council).

Roundabout remains closed

The roundabout remains shut to traffic, with diversions in place. The council said it would provide further updates on reopening once conditions allowed.

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Cwmbwrla roundabout submerged again as flooding hits Swansea and wider region

Cars stranded as roundabout goes under water

Several vehicles were left almost completely submerged after floodwater engulfed Cwmbwrla roundabout on Tuesday afternoon (4 November). South Wales Police said the junction was “not passable from any approach” and urged drivers to avoid the area, while Swansea Council confirmed its highways team was on site.

By Wednesday morning, the roundabout remained closed, with diversions in place via Pentregethin Road. Council teams worked through the night to pump water away, but warned heavy and prolonged rainfall had overwhelmed equipment.

Road closed signs almost completely surrounded by flood water at Cwmbwrla roundabout in Swansea.A road closed sign blocks Approach Road leading to the flooded Cwmbwrla roundabout in Swansea
(Image: Gary Williams).View from Approach Road shows Cwmbwrla roundabout completely submerged by floodwater (Image: Gary Williams).Pumping equipment deployed on Cwmbwrla roundabout surrounded by floodwater as council teams work to clear the junction.(Image: Gary Williams)

Blocked culvert blamed for repeated flooding

The council said the flooding was again linked to a blocked culvert beneath the site of the recently demolished Cwmfelin Social Club, which it stressed remains the responsibility of the club to repair.

In a statement, the authority said:

“The culvert underneath the recently demolished Cwmfelin social club is still blocked and is the main cause of this ongoing problem. We have brought in pumping equipment to assist with the flow of water. However, heavy and prolonged rainfall means the pumping equipment could be overwhelmed and it may be necessary for further closures of this route until the culvert is repaired.”

This is the second time in six weeks that Cwmbwrla has been submerged, with residents and businesses still recovering from earlier flooding in September.

Pub near the roundabout forced to evacuate

The Gatehouse pub, which sits just above Cwmbwrla roundabout on Carmarthen Road, was among the businesses hit by the flooding. Customers were forced to evacuate as water entered the premises, echoing scenes from September when the venue was also affected.

Cars cautiously drive through floodwater under the railway bridge on Mill Street in Gowerton.

Wider disruption across Swansea

Flooding was also reported on Heol Las, Pantlassau Road, Ynysymond Road, the Christopher Road/Clydach Road junction and Capel Road, though the council said these routes were later cleared.

In Carmarthenshire, the Cresselly Arms in Pontargothi was also hit, with the landlady describing it as the second such incident in six weeks.

Floodwater rises halfway up the ground floor windows of The Cresselly Arms in Pontargothi after heavy rain caused the River Cothi to burst its banks.(Image: David R Morgan)

Dozens of flood alerts across Wales

Natural Resources Wales confirmed more than 50 flood alerts and warnings were in place by Wednesday morning, with the heaviest rainfall recorded on south‑facing slopes of the Bannau Brycheiniog.

The Met Office had issued a yellow weather warning for rain across South Wales, which remained in force until 8am Wednesday.

Council promises continued work

Swansea Council said its highways teams would remain on site at Cwmbwrla until the roundabout could be safely reopened.

“We are doing everything we can to reopen the road as soon as possible,” the authority said. “We apologise for the inconvenience to your journey.”

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Demolition of Cwmfelin Social Club begins after two years on edge of giant sinkhole

Video captured by local resident Matthew Waring shows heavy machinery tearing into the building, while footage shared by Cllr Peter Black confirms the start of works.

Cllr Black said: “Work has started demolishing the Cwmfelin Club so that the culvert and sewer can be repaired.”

Bulldozers move in on the Cwmfelin Social Club, captured in footage shared by Cllr Peter Black.An excavator rips into the roof of Cwmfelin Social Club as demolition work gets underway in Cwmbwrla.
(Image: Matthew Waring)

From small hole to major disruption

The club shut suddenly in August 2023 when what was first thought to be a small hole in the car park revealed a vast cavity beneath. Investigations later confirmed a collapsed culvert carrying Burlais Brook, along with the remains of a disused tramline and sewer, running directly under the site.

Since then, the sinkhole has been blamed for repeated flooding on Heol y Gors and at the roundabout, where cars were submerged, homes and businesses inundated, and residents even rescued by boat during September’s storms.

Cars left submerged by flood water at Cwmbwrla roundabout during September’s severe flooding.

Calls for action

Local councillors, including Peter Black, have long warned that permanent repairs to the culvert could not begin until the club was demolished.

Council leader Rob Stewart confirmed last month that the authority had written to the club seeking details of recent works, after emergency pumps were deployed to keep water levels down.

Welsh Water has said it cannot access the collapsed culvert until demolition is complete, while Network Rail has also raised concerns about the site’s proximity to key infrastructure.

Emotional loss for the community

For members, the demolition is bittersweet. Club chairman Mike Kennedy previously said he was “really disappointed” but accepted that demolition was the only way to allow engineers to assess and fix the problem.

Local resident Mark Boyce described the loss as deeply personal: “I’ll be in tears when this comes down. My mother’s soul is in there — she was a cleaner for 25 years and I used to come every weekend.”

What happens next

With the building now coming down, engineers will finally be able to inspect the collapsed culvert and sewer beneath the site. The cost of repairs has been estimated at anywhere from £1 million upwards, though the true figure will only be known once the ground is exposed.

In the meantime, emergency pumping equipment remains in place to protect the roundabout and surrounding homes from further flooding.

Demolition captured on video

Two perspectives of the demolition have been shared from the scene.

Local resident Matthew Waring filmed the moment heavy machinery began tearing into the roof of the Cwmfelin Social Club, capturing the dramatic first strikes as the building came down.

Video by resident Matthew Waring shows demolition crews dismantling Cwmfelin Social Club in Cwmbwrla, Swansea, after two years on the edge of a giant sinkhole.

Meanwhile, Cllr Peter Black posted his own footage, confirming that work had officially started. He said: “Work has started demolishing the Cwmfelin Club so that the culvert and sewer can be repaired.”

Cllr Peter Black shared footage of demolition work starting at Cwmfelin Social Club, saying it will allow culvert and sewer repairs to begin.

Together, the clips show both the community’s view of the demolition and the political significance of the works, which are seen as a vital step towards tackling the flooding problems linked to the collapsed culvert beneath the site.

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Council points to Cwmfelin club sinkhole works after Cwmbwrla flooding

The authority says the repairs, completed in the club’s car park where a giant sinkhole first appeared two years ago, may be linked to the severe flooding which left the busy Cwmbwrla roundabout under water and forced the closure of surrounding roads.

Dozens of homes and businesses were affected, while cars were submerged and traffic chaos spread across the city.

Council action

Council leader Rob Stewart confirmed the authority has contacted the club for information about the work.

“Cwmfelin Social Club closed due to a sinkhole two years ago and the club appointed contractors to demolish the club. The contractors have recently filled the sinkhole. We have had no issues in the last two years with flooding in the area, while pumping equipment has been doing its job. We have today written to the club seeking details of the works their contractors completed.”

The council says its own culverts and gulleys in the area were inspected and cleared before the weekend’s heavy rain.

Welsh Water waiting on demolition

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) has said it cannot access the collapsed culvert and foul sewer system beneath the club until demolition is completed. The council has urged the club and its contractors to engage with DCWW “as a matter of urgency” to speed up the process.

In the meantime, emergency pumping equipment remains in place on the inbound carriageway to keep water levels down.

Cllr Stewart added:

“We are doing everything we can and are working with DCWW to increase the temporary pumping equipment on‑site to help reduce flood waters. This means the in‑bound traffic is still restricted and we apologise for the inconvenience caused, but our priority has to be to reduce the threat of flooding until the culvert can be repaired.”

Long‑running saga

The sinkhole first opened up in 2023, forcing the closure of the club and displacing hundreds of members. Since then, the collapsed culvert beneath the site has been repeatedly linked to flooding on Heol y Gors and at the Cwmbwrla roundabout2.

Local councillor Peter Black has previously warned that the culvert collapse has blocked the watercourse, causing water to back up and overwhelm drains during heavy rain.

Despite repeated calls for action, the club remains standing and demolition has yet to be completed. Residents have expressed frustration at the lack of progress, warning that the community has lost a much‑loved social hub while also facing repeated disruption from flooding.

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