Spring arrives at last after Easter holiday washout
THE Easter weekend may have proved to be a washout but spring could finally arrive as soon as today.
Following a soggy bank holiday weekend which saw forecasters issue yellow warnings of rain for almost all of Wales there are hints the weather could turn warmer later this week – with a slim chance that temperatures could even reach 20C.
Channel Four weatherman Liam Dutton said yesterday temperatures in Wales could reach between 13C and 18C by the end of the week, with a 30% chance of the mercury tipping 20C in some places.
According to the Met Office today will be sunnier although there will be scattered showers in places.
The showers are most likely in the morning and one or two could be heavy.
But by the afternoon sun is set to replace the clouds and the maximum temperature is forecast to reach 15C.
As heavy rain fell yesterday a sink hole 20ft deep opened up on a road leading into a housing estate.
A cordon was set up on the road at Cwrt Bevan at the old Mardy Hospital site in Merthyr Tydfil.
A 2ft square hole had been with exposed water and gas pipes under the pavement.
Merthyr Tydfil councillor Andrew Barry said gas engineers had been called to the estate along with housing developers Taylor Wimpey.
Speaking yesterday Cllr Barry said: “There are gas mains exposed and water lines exposed as well.
“There is already scarring on the road that indicates the hole is likely to get bigger.
“We are expecting heavy rain this afternoon and going into this evening so we are extending the perimeter of the cordon.
“Unfortunately it’s one road in and one road out but we are intending to put the perimeter as far back as possible just to ensure the weight of the cars isn’t going anywhere near that hole.”
The independent councillor added: “We’re putting down sandbags to redirect the surface water but it’s the subterranean water that has washed away the underneath.
“It’s an unadopted road – the road isn’t even completed it’s that new. It’s just a matter of keeping an eye on it now.”
Nigel Hodson, Wales & West Utilities operational manager for Merthyr Tydfil, said: “We were alerted to reports of a sinkhole on a road in the Cwrt Bevan area of Merthyr Tydfil this morning and immediately sent an engineer to investigate.
“We found that a gas pipe running beneath Cwrt Bevan Road had been exposed and so we carried out our necessary safety checks.
“The pipe appears to be undamaged and we are continuing to monitor the situation. There has been no interruption to the gas network.”
A spokesman for South Wales Police said officers were called after reports of a sink hole at 7.38am.
Work was being undertaken to repair the hole yesterday.
Taylor Wimpey were contacted comment. for