Residents who have PTSD after years of battling severe flooding finally sell their homes to council for £2.5million

By MATT STRUDWICK, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 12:49, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 12:55, 28 May 2026 Villagers who have PTSD after years of battling flooding have sold their homes to the council for £2.5million.  Clydach Terrace, in Ynysybwl, Wales, has repeatedly been left underwater in recent years, with cars submerged and homeowners fighting to stop water from entering their properties.  People stayed up all night moving furniture when the street was badly affected during storms Dennis and Bert.  The constant floods on the street have led to some developing PTSD, anxiety and claustrophobia.  The terrace is near a river which regularly overflows, but Natural Resources Wales has said that building a flood defence wall was 'not economically viable'.  Rhondda Cynon Taf council agreed in February to spend £2.57m buying most of the properties. They are all now in the process of moving out, and the row is expected to be demolished. Builder Paul Thomas, 66, who has lived on the street for 46 years, said he was lucky to be alive after being caught in flooding during Storm Dennis in 2020. He said: 'The river was too powerful and it dragged me from my house to the wall. I managed to swim back across the river with wellies on. 'It was an absolute nightmare.' He added that he developed PTSD and claustrophobia due to being up all night fighting the floodwater and would even get nightmares about the river. Clydach Terrace, in Ynysybwl, Wales, has repeatedly been left underwater in recent years, with cars submerged and homeowners fighting to stop water from entering their properties People stayed up all night moving furniture when the street was badly affected during storms Dennis and Bert Rhondda Cynon Taf council agreed in February to spend £2.57m buying most of the properties He said: 'Twenty-four hours a day, there would be days I'd have no sleep, your body can't sustain that. 'But we are finally being given a chance to live a life without fear. You go to bed in the night and you don't know what's going on. We can't go on like this. 'I am a builder, I know how destructive the water is.' He said it's a 'bittersweet' feeling to leave the street as his son and grandchildren live there too. However, Mr Thomas added: 'It's so necessary for us to do - the geography of the street is a death sentence.' There had been difficulties for some residents finding alternative housing in the area, he said, with house prices higher than the £150,000 he had received for his home. He also had to spend £50,000 putting his house right after Storm Dennis in 2020, the first time the street was flooded. He added: 'Financially the last five years made a huge dent in me. 'I think more empathy of people who are flooded is needed - there's a whole chain of events that occur after someone is flooded. It's not just carpets - all life is ruined from it.' Mike Preddy, 40, a delivery driver, bought his home 16 years ago and used to live on the street when he was younger. He used to play with his current partner on the same road when they were kids, but then he moved to Weston-super-Mare. When he came back to the village he met his partner in a local pub, and they decided to move back to the street where they first met. He said: 'There's a lot of family connections on this street going back four generations. It's going to be sad moving and seeing the houses destroyed, but it has to be done. The terrace is near a river which regularly overflows, but Natural Resources Wales has said that building a flood defence wall was 'not economically viable' Sandbags are in place permanently on the street because of the continued risk of flooding 'My partner has been living here longer, but there are people on the street who have been living here 50 and 60 years - their parents and grandparents have all grown up on this street. 'It's one of those things, it has to be done, we have to go.' He said for the past six years the anxiety has been 'through the roof' due to the flooding. Mr Preddy added: 'We'd be on edge from an amber to red warning of heavy rain, but now even a yellow warning is starting to threaten the street. 'What's unique with our street is that we don't have to get a lot of water now to be threatened with the flood. 'Each year, without fail, it will topple the wall and it's the danger to life which the local authorities deem fit. 'It's just being up all night, moving furniture up and down week in week out - we couldn't do it anymore. 'It's sad, but it has to be done. You can't stay on a dangerous street because you've got memories, our life is more important.' Sandbags are in place permanently on the street because of the continued risk of flooding, with Mr Preddy describing the flooding as a 'ticking time bomb'. He said: 'When the weather is like it is now, you can go over that river and it's beautiful. You can hear the birds and you can see fish, but obviously it then turns into a demon in the wintertime.' Mr Preddy said he had found another house just up the road from where they are now and would be moving there within a couple of weeks. He said that despite the residents being apart from each other they will 'remain friends for life'. He concluded: 'The only different thing going forward now is we won't be talking about the weather, we will be talking about things in life in general and happy things, not putting people on edge.' Resident Kevin Fender, 63, told the BBC: 'I didn't expect to be moving at my time of life. You don't realise how hard it is to do something like that. It's life-changing.' A Rhondda Cynon Taf Council spokesperson said: 'We understand that residents will have mixed emotions as they prepare to leave their homes and their community. 'While this decision provides a long-term solution to relocate residents from an area of severe flood risk, we also recognise the sadness, disruption and uncertainty that comes with leaving a place that means so much to them. Mike Preddy, 40, a delivery driver, bought his home 16 years ago and used to live on the street when he was younger 'The Council made an offer to purchase the affected properties and the decision to accept that offer, sell and move has been made by residents themselves.' 'This is not a decision that was taken lightly. Clydach Terrace presents a unique and significant flood risk, with residents having experienced severe flooding during Storm Dennis and further flooding impacts during Storm Bert. 'This has had a major impact on people's homes, their health and wellbeing, and their ability to feel safe whenever bad weather is forecast. 'Our priority throughout has been the safety, wellbeing and long-term security of residents. Following the assessment by Natural Resources Wales, which found that flood defence options for this location were not viable, we took the exceptional decision to intervene and acquire the affected properties. 'We would again like to thank residents for their continued engagement, patience and dignity throughout what is a very significant and personal moment for them.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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