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Residents in Blackwood had their Christmas ruined for the third year in a row after flooding forced some to swap family holidays to clear blocked drains.

David Chivers has lived on Cwmgelli Villas for over 30 years, but is now unable to sell his property due to the flooding problems.

In March 2021, Caerphilly County Borough Council approved plans for 164 homes to be built in Cwmgelli, Blackwood, against warnings from Mr Chivers, and other residents, who said the development could lead to increased flooding.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer about the ongoing problems, Mr Chivers said: “For as long as I’ve been here, we haven’t had issues like the ones we’ve had for the past three years.

“Where the fields and farmland used to be, are now houses. This means the grass and soil isn’t absorbing the water anymore and it’s running straight into our gardens. It’s a massive problem.”

Site developer Taylor Wimpey has met with councillors and residents over the years in hopes of finding a solution to the flooding.

Mr Chivers said: “They’re full of promises about new drainage systems to avoid surface water ending up at our properties, but it never comes to anything. They just blame the weather.

“I’ve actually rented the property out now, but like the two Christmases before, I was up there laying down sandbags and shovelling dirt and silt out of drains to keep the water flowing.

“My neighbour is an 84-year-old woman. It’s not fair on her, or anyone, to have to be out there doing that over Christmas of all times.”

The Independent Group leader and councillor for Blackwood, Nigel Dix, has been especially vocal about the situation at Cwmgelli.

He said: “It’s totally unacceptable. I know families who have had to cancel trips away to stay home in fear of the flooding.

“We sat down with Taylor Wimpey before Christmas and assurances were made that this wouldn’t happen again, but once more, residents have been let down.

“At the moment, there are pumps running to move the water off the estate, but it needs to be connected elsewhere or we’re going to see more flooding.

“I and Cllr Farina-Childs have arranged yet more meetings with Taylor Wimpey, and hope to see some action very soon.”

Cllr Farina-Childs also expressed his sympathy for the residents when speaking to Caerphilly Observer. He added: “It’s shocking what’s going on up there. Every Christmas I’m sat by the phone waiting for the inevitable call to say the flooding has started.

“This development should never have been approved in the first place, and we’ll continue to put pressure on Taylor Wimpey to get a proper drainage system in place.”

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said: “We understand the concerns raised following the recent extreme weather events at Cwmgelli, Blackwood.

“We have installed a considerable amount of infrastructure at the development to control any potential excess surface water as a result of heavy rainfall during the construction of the development.

“This includes a series of attenuation basins, surface water channels, overland pipe work, and automatic pumps, which are regularly monitored and maintained.

“We will soon be installing the surface water drainage connection to the approved outfall, which will help to further mitigate the impact of heavy rainfall.”

It’s understood construction of the water drainage connection unit is to be built within the next month.

Caerphilly County Borough Council has been contacted for comment.