Wales weather: Heavy rain as storm repairs begin

The rain will fall on ground which is already saturated, the Met Office warns

Heavy rain has fallen across much of south and west Wales on Saturday, after the Met Office warned of the risk of localised flooding.

The yellow alert, meaning be aware, warned the intense rain was set to persist throughout the day falling on ground that is already saturated.

There were four flood alerts for parts of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Roads and rail services in south Wales have been affected by flooding.

The A4226 in Barry was only passable with care due to flooding, while trains between Carmarthen and Swansea were being delayed due to flooding at Ferryside.

Services in the south Wales valleys between Porth and Trehafod have also been subject to delays because of flooding.

The return of bad weather comes as work starts around the Welsh coast to repair the destruction caused by storms.

The Met Office warning was in force until 19:00 GMT, saying: "Given continued saturated ground conditions, the public should be aware of the likelihood of localised flooding."

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) warned the level of the river flowing through Tenby in Pembrokeshire will remain above the flood alert level throughout the weekend.

Aberystwyth's seafront shelter sank into a hole after its foundations were swept away

Low-lying land around the River Ritec remained at risk of localised flooding, but an earlier warning for rivers in north and west Pembrokeshire was lifted.

There was also an alert for the River Teifi downstream of Llanybydder in Carmarthenshire.

In south Wales, there were alerts for rivers in the Ewenny and Vale of Glamorgan west catchments, and for the rivers Llynfi and Ogmore in Bridgend county.

The NRW alerts came as the agency began preparatory work to repair a 50m (165ft) hole in the flood defences at Llanbedr, Gwynedd.

Five houses and 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of agricultural land have been flooded twice a day since the breach during a tidal surge and storms early in the new year.

Tim Jones from Natural Resources Wales said: "We sympathise wholeheartedly with the people who have been affected by this breach. It has been a terrible start to the year for them."

Aberystwyth bore the brunt of the storms which battered Wales over the New Year.

Its promenade was holed and its 1920s landmark seafront shelter was badly damaged and is now being dismantled for repair.

Last weekend around 200 people volunteered to help with a clean-up of the town's promenade.