FLOOD-DAMAGED walls in Pontypool and Blaenavon should be repaired by the autumn, after the council approved a preferred contractor to carry out the works. 

The river walls at Brooke House and Pontypool Museum were damaged following storms Ciara, Dennis and Jose in early 2020.

During that time, the flows of water in the Afon Lloyd river “reached their highest ever recorded levels” and at the same time caused damage to the walls.

Now £142,000 in funding has been released to repair the walls

A report on the proposal says: “These flows resulted in damage to stone filled metal basket walls in several areas along the length of the river.”

The repairs will be funded by the Welsh Government via a grant handed to Torfaen County Borough Council.

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A survey funded by the Welsh Government on flood damage in the area found that the two highest safety implications to the council are the five-metre-high wall supporting the Pontypool Museum car park, off Park Road, and the wall supporting Forgeside Road, opposite Brook House, Blaenavon.

The report says: “Both of these structures had suffered wash out from the flow of water and were now a cause of safety risk to the public and highway users.”

In April 2020, funding was provided to assess what flood damage needs to be fixed and now funding to carry out the projects has been confirmed. 

Due to the restricted space to repair the wall at Forgeside Road, the council report says that a temporary road closure will be required when the work takes place.

It is anticipated that both walls will be repaired at the same time. They will take 10 weeks to repair and should be finished in October.