Sinkhole gets bigger as storm delays homecoming

The sinkhole in Merthyr Tydfil opened after heavy rains across Wales

A giant sinkhole that forced residents from their homes has continued to get bigger.

The void emerged on Nant Morlais in Pant, Merthyr Tydfil, on Sunday and was said at the time to be 9 to 12m (30 to 40ft) deep and 5m (16ft) wide.

There were high hopes residents would be able to return to their homes soon.

But Merthyr Tydfil council confirmed that idea was now on hold.

It said bad weather meant there was now more water in the chasm and that Welsh Water had had to stop work so a crane could be brought in to stabilise it.

Pumps trying to divert the river were struggling to cope, said the authority.

"As of this morning, the sinkhole has increased in size," a spokesman said.

"Unfortunately, this means that we are no longer in a position to allow householders from the lower end of the cul-de-sac to return home safely, possibly until early next week.

"However, this timeline will be heavily reliant on weather conditions over the weekend."

An amber warning for wind has been issued for parts of the UK with the arrival of the fourth named storm of the season.

Storm Darragh is expected to bring gusts of up to 80mph (128km/h) late on Friday and into Saturday.

The warning for "potentially damaging" winds is in place for the west coast of the UK from South Ayrshire in Scotland, through Wales and down to Cornwall, as well as in Northern Ireland.

It is in place on Saturday from 03:00 GMT until 21:00.

On Thursday, the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for rain and wind that covered Wales and other parts of the UK.

On Thursday Natural Resources Wales had a number of flood warnings and alerts in place.

A number of roads were also closed - the A48 Severn Bridge between Wales and England because of strong winds, the B4242 between Resolven and Aberdulais in Neath Port Talbot, and the A5 in both directions between Betws y Coed and Pentrefoelas in Conwy county due to flooding.

The A48 between the Pyle and Porthcawl roundabouts in Bridgend county was also shut because of a fallen tree.

National Grid said more than 1,700 customers in south and west Wales had lost power, while power cuts have also been reported in parts of north Wales.