Homes evacuated after pavement collapse in Nantyffyllon

A street has been closed off and homes evacuated in Bridgend county after a pavement collapsed leaving a hole six metres (19.6ft) deep.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called to Coronation Terrace, Nantyffyllon, at about 07:50 GMT on Thursday.

A fire service spokeswoman said a man was assessed following the collapse but he is not believed to be hurt.

Emergency services are still at the scene.

Neil Minchington, highways inspector for Bridgend council, said: "I wasn't expecting to find this when we arrived on scene.

"We fenced the area off, there's about six or seven flats that were evacuated.

"We'll assess the situation to see if it is safe to allow the tenants back in this evening."

Mr Minchington said a Coal Authority representative will visit the site to see if the sinkhole was caused by old mining work.

He added: "Once that has been established, we'll look at who is responsible for repairs.

"There's going to be a major excavation to find the parameters of the hole, then determine what we're going to repair and back fill it with."

Resident Tom Weaver, a retired steelworker, said: "There's so much water coming off the mountain behind us. I worked in the mines as a young boy so a collapse doesn't frighten me, but it is a dangerous situation."