Tintern A466 landslip to be assessed as storm clear-up continues

A landslip in Monmouthshire is to be assessed by specialist surveyors as the clear-up continues in the aftermath of Monday's severe storm.

Surveyors will have to wait until it is safe to abseil from higher ground to check the damage.

However, Monmouthshire council said the A466 in Tintern would be reopened with traffic lights.

Wales escaped the worst of the winds with the Met Office reporting gusts of 99mph (159km/h) on the Isle of Wight.

The second Severn crossing re-opened by 06:00 GMT but the old M48 bridge remained closed until much later in the day.

Some trains were also cancelled between London and south Wales.

Arriva Trains Wales said that owing to flooding between Barry and Bridgend all lines are blocked and train services will be replaced by buses "until further notice".

Clearing work on the A466 in Tintern on Monday

The company said there were also delays on other routes and advised travellers to check the Arriva Trains Wales website for the latest information.

First Great Western rail services are also affected between Cardiff Central and London Paddington in both directions.

The website says most trains are now operating on the route but there are still some alterations to services.

Cross Country currently have no planned changes to train times.

The storm, which mainly affected the south and south east of Britain, struck early on Monday and has now passed.

However, the aftermath caused problems during the day with South Wales Fire and Rescue advising motorists not to drive through flood water, saying it can be deeper and faster flowing than it appears.

Earlier on Monday, South Wales Police received calls about localised road flooding from many parts of Cardiff, including Canton, Cathays, Roath, Rumney and St Mellons.

Council workers closing Newport Road in Roath, Cardiff after flooding

Officers were called to the A4161 Newport Road, with items reported to be floating down it "like a river" before the road was closed for the early part of the morning in both directions between Broadway and Albany Road, Roath.

A fire crew pumped out flood water at a recycling centre in Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan. They were called to the unit on Llandow Industrial Estate at about 11:20 GMT.

Flood water had to be pumped out from an old people's home in Newport Road.

The A4160 Penarth Road, on the outskirts of Cardiff, was closed in both directions due to flooding between Barry Road and Brindley Road, and police reported abandoned vehicles in the area.

There was flooding in the basement of a house in Cranbrook Street, Cathays and in Langstone Road, Langstone and Kingsway Road in Pill, Newport.

The A466 was also closed in both directions due to flooding in Tintern and there was early flooding on the A48 in the Vale of Glamorgan.

There was also flooding on the roads in the Kingsway and Kensington Place areas in Newport, and the ground floor of The Anchor pub in Tintern, Monmouthshire, was flooded.

Parts of the pub date back to the 12th Century, and co-owner Polly Harrington described the ground floor as a mud bath.

She said debris had washed down with water from high ground and blocked a culvert.

The highest recorded rainfall in Wales was in Cardiff, which saw 44mm (1.7in) and the strongest wind gust was 44mph (70km/h) in St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan.

The closures of both Severn motorway bridges were announced as very high winds and heavy rain were forecast to peak at around 04:00 on Monday.

No incidents were reported in mid and north Wales.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) website currently has five flood alerts in place on the upper Severn in Powys; upper Teifi; Dyfi catchment; lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows and the Vyrnwy catchment.

A NRW spokesman said: "Officers have been monitoring river levels closely and checking flood defences over the weekend and will continue to keep a close eye on the situation."

Racing was abandoned at Bangor-on-Dee, while the Woodland Trust urged people to stay indoors.

Norman Starks, the trust's UK operations director, said: "Although it's exciting and tempting to wander around woods in windy conditions, please don't."

Sandbags

Many local authorities have been preparing for bad weather.

Rhondda Cynon Taf councillor Andrew Morgan - cabinet member for frontline services - said sandbags were being filled and preparations were being made for fallen trees.

The ground floor of the Anchor pub in Tintern, Monmouthshire was described as a "mudbath"

Mr Morgan said crews worked all day on Saturday to remove fallen leaves to try and stop gullies being blocked, which could lead to roads flooding.

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water had also asked its customers to let them know if there were any problems with the sewer network.

"We would ask customers to call our 24 hour operational helpline on 0800 085 3968 to report any issues."

There is more information about the forecasts for Monday on the BBC Weather, Met Office and Environment Agency websites. See BBC Travel News for up to date travel information and the Highways Agency and Traffic Wales websites for details about road conditions. BBC Local has information from your area.