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Councillor warns culvert collapse could leave Cwmbwrla at risk over Christmas

At the full council meeting on 6 November 2025, Cllr Peter Black CBE (Liberal Democrats, Cwmbwrla) told members that homes had once again been inundated after water levels rose higher than in previous floods. He cautioned that until the culvert is rebuilt, the risk of repeat flooding remains.

Black said one of the pumps failed early during the storm, leaving the council “without control of the situation,” and urged urgent measures to provide extra resilience for residents.

Praise for drainage and clean‑up teams

Other councillors acknowledged the scale of the challenge and praised highways and drainage staff for their response. Andrew Stevens (Labour, Gorseinon) said teams had been called in to deal with over 40,000 drains across Swansea, working through the night to keep roads open. Cllr Peter May (Uplands Party, Uplands) described their efforts as “A1,” noting floodwaters dissipated within hours thanks to their work.

Council Leader Rob Stewart (Labour, Morriston) also thanked staff, stressing that officers had worked “diligently” to keep services running during the storm.

Their praise echoed earlier coverage by Swansea Bay News, which reported how council teams worked through the night to clear debris and reopen the Cwmbwrla roundabout following the floods. The clean‑up operation was described as “superb,” with staff ensuring the busy junction was made safe for traffic again.

Collapsed culvert at Cwmfelin Club

Council Leader Rob Stewart (Labour, Morriston) stressed that the repeated flooding at Cwmbwrla was not caused by blocked drains but by the collapsed culvert on private land near the Cwmfelin Club:

“There is a specific issue relating to a collapsed culvert on private land. It cannot handle the water it would normally take away from that area.”

Cllr Peter Black CBE (Liberal Democrats, Cwmbwrla) warned that the repair work will take months, leaving residents exposed to further risk if temporary pumps are overwhelmed:

“This is not going to be fixed before Christmas. This is not going to be fixed until January at the very earliest and it’s going to have more torrential rain events like that again. And we cannot sustain another flood like that in Cwmbwrla if we can help it.”

Wider impact across Swansea

Councillors noted flooding affected wards across the city, with leaf fall adding to the challenge of keeping gullies clear. Swansea Council has already urged residents to help by reporting hotspots where leaves are piling up on pavements and roads, as cleansing teams step up their seasonal clear‑up.

Over recent weeks, crews have removed hundreds of tonnes of leaves across the city, with extra resources diverted from other cleansing work to keep drains clear and footpaths safe. A new leaf‑sucking and mulching machine is being used to vacuum up large piles of leaves and shred them into mulch for disposal — allowing teams to cover more ground more quickly.

Cllr Cyril Anderson, Cabinet Member for Community Services, said the new kit would help crews lift even more leaves efficiently, but warned:

“It only takes a couple of days of wind and rain to see a further build‑up, particularly in areas with lots of trees.”

Residents are being encouraged to report problem areas directly to the cleansing team so they can be prioritised for clearance.

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Editor Nov 5

Council blames collapsed culvert — not drains — for Cwmbwrla flooding

Heavy duty pumps ‘overwhelmed’

In a Facebook post, the council said the culvert lies around 12 metres below the surface and remains the responsibility of the club’s representatives to repair. While demolition of the building is almost complete, the next stage will be to excavate and fix the culvert.

In the meantime, the council has deployed heavy duty pumping equipment to divert water at the blockage point. But it admitted that during periods of heavy rainfall, such as this week, the pumps “can become overwhelmed and simply cannot cope with the volume of water flowing beneath the road.”

Public frustration acknowledged

The authority said it understood public anger at repeated flooding at the roundabout, but stressed its intervention could only have “limited impact” until the culvert is repaired.

“This situation will only be resolved when the private culvert has been unblocked and repaired, allowing water to flow freely through the network. Until then, the location remains at risk of further flooding during severe weather,” the council said.

Drains not to blame, says council

The council also rejected suggestions that blocked gullies or drains were behind the flooding. It said all watercourses in the immediate area had been checked and cleared, and would continue to be maintained.

Flooded Cwmbwrla roundabout in Swansea, looking towards pumping equipment from the Cwmfelin side of the railway bridge (Image: Swansea Council).

Roundabout remains closed

The roundabout remains shut to traffic, with diversions in place. The council said it would provide further updates on reopening once conditions allowed.

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#blockedDrains #blockedGullies #culvert #Cwmbwrla #cwmbwrlaFlooding #CwmbwrlaRoundabout #CwmfelinSocialCLub #Environment #flooding #SwanseaCouncil