Couple 'devastated' as 270 sheep drown in farm flood

A couple have been left "devastated" after their farm flooded and 275 of their sheep died.

Kiyan Freedom and wife Tetiana began their flock in April, attempting to heal their mental health after multiple miscarriages and Mr Freedom's cancer.

Now the couple, both 36, have lost more than £100,000 worth of sheep and equipment on their farm in Pontyates, Carmarthenshire, after a "powerful" wave of water washed over their land on 4 September when the nearby River Gwendraeth burst its banks after heavy rain.

Mr Freedom said it was "more than heart-breaking - heart, life, emotionally, financially - everything".

Mr Freedom was on his way to feed his flock at about 10:30 BST when he heard a "very bad, horrible noise".

"I ran to the sheep to push them to higher ground. But I couldn't," he said.

However, the water was too deep and the landowner arrived with a tractor to help and "saved me," Mr Freedom said.

They began trying to rescue the sheep, but the rising water meant "he was driving with the tractor under the water".

Both were unharmed, but both the tractor and Mr Freedom's 4x4 were wrecked by the water.

Mr Freedom said he has received many calls from neighbours who have found carcasses of his flock.

Kiyan Freedom sacrificed his Mitsubishi Shotgun 4x4 to save the landowner whose tractor became submerged

He told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that his sheep were "part of my family".

Although 328 sheep were saved, three have since died and the others are "still not well".

It is illegal to bury dead livestock, so Mr Freedom has arranged for 275 sheep carcasses to be collected and has been quoted about £20 per head - £5,500 in total.

Mr Freedom grew up on a farm in Iran and, when he was diagnosed with cancer, he sidelined his international criminal barrister career.

The couple started farming in Wales after two years once Mr Freedom regained mobility to heal from the "stresses" but he said he was "suffering with the brain tumor and the spinal cancer".

The couple moved to the farm in Pontyates when Kiyan Freedom regained mobility after spinal cancer

Mr Freedom said Natural Resources Wales (NRW) did not help them and they received no flood warning.

NRW said: "Intense rainfall caused the Gwendreath Fawr river to rise rapidly, flooding low-lying agricultural land near Pontyates.

"Flooding in this area is not unusual, and we issued a flood alert."

It added that its records showed the landowner and tenants "had not registered for our free flood warning service, so they would not have received the alert. We've since provided guidance on how to sign up".

It said it did not attend the site as no homes were affected - in line with Welsh government policy - and that responsibility for watercourse maintenance "lies with the landowner or tenant".