More than 30 dogs trapped in loft as floods hit Wales

Thirty seven dogs are trapped in the loft of a dog sanctuary, after a band of intense rain caused the surrounding area to flood.

Alison Clark, at Glanrhyd Dog Sanctuary in Trimsaran, Carmarthenshire, “lost everything” when river banks burst on Tuesday. Nine dogs were rescued by the emergency services but the remaining “more reactive dogs” are currently stranded.

There has been widespread flooding and disruption in many parts of Wales, with flood warnings in places across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Swansea.

Ms Clark said the property was completely cut off, with the road flooded “for the 12th time since July”, but added: “The dogs are safe. I kept them alive yesterday.”

Ms Clark, 59, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Wednesday she had tried to bring the 37 dogs living at the sanctuary to safety, as water levels rose rapidly on Tuesday, but “every level we went up, the water followed”.

She said the Fire and Rescue service helped nine of the dogs to safety using boats, but the others had to be left behind because “some of [them] are really reactive, and can’t share or go elsewhere”.

“The rest are just in crates up in the loft where they’ve got nowhere to go for their toilet, or any food left,” she told the BBC.

“It’s just devastating, everything’s gone.”

Ms Clark said the building was still underwater on Wednesday morning, though the flood-waters have receded slightly.

She said the flood had wiped out almost all of the sanctuary’s dog food supply, with only two bags remaining, and the road “totally flooded [with] no access in and out”, adding she feels “just broken”.

“There’s no electricity and nothing for the dogs.

“The bedding is soaking. We’ve got no washing machines now, and everything’s damaged.

“No one in the 25 years that they’ve been living here have ever seen anything like this.

“Every building is flooded, except for the lofts.

“Thank God we had crates in the loft to go to in such an emergency. But it’s just the aftermath of it now. We’ve lost everything.

“Today is just going to be a battle of trying to find clean bedding and salvage what food we do have, and doing what I can,” she said.

The Met Office had issued a yellow warning for rain across much of south Wales until 08:00 on Wednesday

As of 06:05 GMT, Natural Resources Wales had multiple flood warnings and flood alerts.

A factor in the flooding, particularly in parts of Carmarthenshire are unusually high spring tides caused by a “Supermoon”, in which the full Moon is unusually close to the Earth.

On Wednesday, seven schools in Carmarthenshire closed and one in Pembrokeshire.

Customers at The Gatehouse pub in Cwmbwrla, Swansea had to flee the rising water at around 15:30 GMT on Tuesday, while there has been widespread transport disruption.

Landlady Vicky Sheffield said she has to evacuate after water started coming up from drains, adding: “In 26 years this has never happened before, and now it has happened twice in six weeks. It’s quite scary.”

The flooding in Cwmbwrla comes after issues caused by a collapsed culvert first emerged in September.

Swansea council said pumping equipment brought in to alleviate flood waters at Cwmbwrla roundabout had been “overwhelmed”.

It said a blocked sewer – the responsibility of the recently demolished Cwmfelin social club – is to blame.

“We are doing everything we can to reopen the road as soon as possible,” the council said.

National Grid isolated power to 400 properties in around the area for safety reasons, but the electricity has since been restored.

Flooding caused the suspension of rail service between Whitland and Carmarthen and on the line at Pontarddulais.

Jon Davison, the co-owner of the Cresselly Arms in Pontargothi, Carmarthen, is counting the cost after his pub was badly flooded.

“It’s shocking, what can you say? It’s terrible,” he said from his flooded bar next to the River Cothi.

“The bridge piles up with logs every time we have a flood.

“It costs the council a fortune to remove them,” he said, adding things were much worse for people whose houses have flooded.

Wood and debris in the flood water smashed windows, he said, and was at least waist deep in the lower part of the pub.

Pembrokeshire council warned motorists the county was experiencing “widespread surface water flooding”, with many routes closed on Tuesday evening.

Mid and West Wales Fire Service had to rescue several drivers caught on flooded roads, the council added.

Despite the easing of rain in the forecast for Wednesday, the council warned that higher than normal tides could lead to coastal flooding until Thursday.

Farms, properties and roads are also expected to be hit by flooding near the River Towy in Carmarthenshire.

Low-lying properties in Ammanford, Llandybie and Aberlash, including Carmarthenshire College, where the river Loughor meets the River Amman, are also expected to be affected.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for much of Wales, from Carmarthen to Chepstow, between 12:00 on Tuesday and 08:00 on Wednesday.

The heavy rain could result in spray and flooding on roads, while bus and train services could be affected, the forecaster said

On Wednesday morning, Trainline said “heavy flooding on the railway between Carmarthen and Whitland” had closed all lines so “trains running between these stations may be cancelled or revised”.

It added that disruption was expected until 13:00.

The national grid was showing no power cuts in west Wales as of 07:00.