Elderly woman rescued as 'devastated' flat owners flooded for second time in months

Residents were getting ready to move back into the flats at Ty Caer Castell in Bridgend after flooding last year, but now face more months homeless after their properties were hit by flash flooding once again

Residents have been left completely "devastated" after their homes were hit by flash flooding for the second time in the space of months.

The ground floor residents at the Ty Caer Castell flats in Bridgend were forced out of their homes due to flooding in September, 2024, and were getting ready to move back in after extensive work.

For the second time, one elderly woman had to be rescued by the fire service after waist-deep water filled the ten ground-floor properties. Stay informed on Bridgend news by signing up to our newsletter here

Leyton Stevens, a landlord who owns one of the affected flats, said people were at their wits end due to the flooding and constant worrying that it would happen again whenever there was heavy rain.

"People are devastated - they’ve lost everything," Mr Stevens said.

"It’s horrific. Everywhere we turn, people are deflecting and are dismissive of our claims that it’s going to happen again," he claimed.

He was one of the first people to buy a flat at Ty Caer Castell in 2007 and has experienced flooding at his property three times - first in 2012, then in September, 2024, and again during the early hours of Saturday (June 14).

"It's the exact same thing every time," he said.

"We were sat there at 10pm last night thinking this doesn’t look good, and sure enough at midnight we received the call to say it had been flooded again."

He explained that following the flooding in September, 2024, the ground-floor flats had been empty while extensive work was done to prepare the properties.

"Everything was ripped out - it was gutted down to the bricks. Electrics, fittings, kitchens, all the rest of it was lost and replaced."

Most people were expecting to move back in within the next few weeks, but now face devastation and more months away from their homes.

"I understand one lady had the work done privately and had just got back in. Last night at 3am, we were sent photos of her being taken out by the fire service," Mr Stevens said.

He claimed that a "lack of support" that had been experienced by those at the flats was heart-wrenching. "We've written to everyone you can think of but nothing has been done," he claimed.

"My personal flat is probably worth around £110,000 but it’s probably uninsurable and I’m not going to be able to sell it. It’s devastating. For the people living there, it's constant financial worries and disruption."

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms as Wales was battered by heavy rain on Friday evening. There were also six Natural Resources Wales flood alerts in place on Saturday morning due to river levels rising as a result of the heavy rain, but they were later removed.

If you have been affected by flooding at Ty Caer Castell and would like to get in touch, please contact ellie.gosley@walesonline.co.uk