TikTok Brombil reservoir in Margam sells for £15,000

Brombil Reservoir is thought to have been built in the 1800s

A scenic reservoir which went viral on social media during the Covid pandemic has been bought for £15,000.

Brombil Reservoir in Margam, Neath Port Talbot, was put up for sale last year with a guide price of £75,000 before it was snapped up.

But estate agents Watts & Morgan said it was put back on the market by its new owners just an hour later for £30,000 on 27 February.

Reservoirs are rarely marketed because of the "liabilities" they carry.

A 900m (2,950ft) public footpath provides entry on the west side of the reservoir, which is thought to have been built in the 1800s.

• Welsh island has one of the world's darkest skies

• The bygone island fort reclaimed by nature

• The Welsh locations bringing Sex Education to life

After the landmark went viral on social media during 2021, the influx of visitors caused traffic chaos and litter problems.

Nearby residents claimed they had been "suffering" because of the problems and eventually Neath Port Talbot council asked visitors to stay away.

Brombil Reservoir gained popularity on TikTok and Instagram during the pandemic

A TikTok video from an account highlighting "UK hidden gems" received more than a million views on a video featuring the reservoir in 2022.

Samantha Price, who handled the sale for Watts & Morgan, said the owner of a reservoir had to have a structural surveyor's report done every 10 years.

"Brombil is actually high risk, because it is above residential units, so it's quite important that those items on that report are done within the set criteria," she said.

Ms Price said reservoirs rarely went up for sale, and that estimating a valuation for Brombil had been "almost a finger in the wind".

The reservoir, also known as the "blue lagoon", became a TikTok sensation during lockdown

The site, which has a pond compared by visitors to a "blue lagoon" with a surface area of just over an acre, is being advertised to prospective purchasers as having potential for leisure and tourism developments, subject to planning permissions and consents.

Ms Price said: "You've got to be a certain type of person to own it, you've got to work on it when the time comes.

"Once it goes through the auction house, you might get investors from London, who would think nothing of spending £30,000, that's the guide price.

"They might just buy it and sit on it for a bit."

• TOURIST TRAP: Meet the team tasked with selling Wales to the world

• MEN UP: Five ordinary Welshmen embark on a surprising medical trial