RESIDENTS in Cwmbran are pushing for action to be taken on flood prevention, after householders said they faced £10,000 of damages and were ill from the sewage.

More than 50 members turned up to a meeting on Tuesday, organised by Cwmbran resident Dave Simpson who founded the flood awareness campaign in June this year.

Mr Simpson said 110 people have signed a petition committing their support to the campaign, which is calling for “the relevant authorities to implement action to alleviate further flooding in Cwmbran”.

Cwmbran was hit with serious flooding after torrential rainfall on May 22 this year, which left some houses in Two Locks Road flooded on the ground floor.

William and Patricia Lectka, who live on Two Locks Road, had to live in temporary accommodation for four days and were left with £10,000 worth of damages.

Mr Lectka, who is disabled, said: “We saw the water coming down the road, it looked like a river. Being flooded hits you emotionally as well.”

Neighbour Fiona Milsom, who also lives on Two Locks Road, said her and her brother, Maurice, suffered with diarrhoea after water and sewage came into the house.

She said: “It has taken months to get our house restored to what it was. All our downstairs rooms were flooded.”

At the meeting, Mr Simpson claimed the sewers and waterways are not being properly maintained and said he has contacted Torfaen Council, Bron Afon and Welsh Water.

He said: “It is not acceptable for members of the public to live in fear every time it rains. I want something done about it.”

He claimed Dowlais Brook overflowed because works undertaken by the council allegedly left a lot of tree debris in the river.

A council spokesperson said: ““Dowlais Brook flows across land belonging to a number of land owners. The council is only responsible for the active management, including any necessary clearance, of the watercourse on its own land. When trees are cleared it is not the practice of the council to leave debris in the watercourse.”

Mr Simpson also contacted Welsh Water after he said manhole covers had erupted, releasing raw sewage into the environment.

A spokesperson for Welsh Water said: “We are aware that a public meeting regarding flooding in a part of Cwmbran took place on Tuesday evening however we were not present as we were not invited to attend.

“We will be undertaking a CCTV survey of the sewerage network to try and understand the cause and to ensure that our network is operating normally."