Flooding 'worst ever' as warnings and alerts continue

The Cresselly Arms near Carmarthen was flooded on Tuesday evening

Flooding is continuing to cause problems in parts of Wales after heavy rain hit large parts of the country this week.

A severe flood warning – meaning danger to life – remains in place at Kiln Caravan Park in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, while a flood warning was also issued for The Quay in Carmarthen.

By Thursday evening, 14 flood alerts remained in place in north, south-west and south-east Wales.

A business owner who had to close his shop in Carmarthen due to the floods described them as "the worst in living memory".

Malcolm Rees, owner of Powerpools and Powercuts on Pensarn Road in Carmarthen, described the rising water levels as "a bit scary".

He said he was watching the CCTV "hour after hour", hoping the water levels would recede, but they did not.

Although his showrooms were not flooded, he could not open because the road and car park were submerged.

Mr Rees described the floods as "the worst in living memory".

"It's so out of your control. You've just got to stand by and unfortunately watch," he said, adding that other nearby businesses would also suffer.

"I've never seen the water that high. How long this is going to take to go down I've got no idea."

He added that he had seen flooding in the area over the years, but "I've never seen it this bad".

Malcolm Rees, owner of Powerpools and Powercuts in Carmarthen, described the rising water levels as "a bit scary"

Jason Bradford, a co-partner of The Cresselly Arms in Pontargothi, Carmarthenshire, which was flooded on Tuesday evening, said staff had been "fighting a losing battle" against the nearby River Cothi.

He said water levels started rising, and "went halfway up the windows", before flooding the pub.

"We tried to get boards up against the windows to try and prevent it, jammed everything in, but you can only do so much with the sheer power," he said.

He added that the pub had flooded before, and that he and staff had learned to "persevere with it".

Mr Bradford said that despite the flooding, the local community helped out.

"Everyone from the village, they all muck in. It's a really nice community but you just muck in where you can," he said.

On Thursday evening, the Royal Mail also said its delivery office in Carmarthen had closed due to "significant flooding".

Carmarthenshire council said it was supporting 189 households affected by the flooding, as well as 32 businesses. In Whitland, 40 residents were supported following the evacuation of St Davids Avenue, with alternative accommodation provided to 20 people.

"There is no doubt that the impact of this flooding has been significant for many, and I'm grateful to local communities throughout Carmarthenshire for coming together and showing such resilience," said council leader Darren Price.