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Communities across Caerphilly County Borough have been left devastated in the wake of Storm Bert, as the disruption continues.

With the worst of the storm seemingly passed, people and businesses are returning to flood-stricken areas to assess the damage, with many having flashbacks to Storm Dennis in 2020 which caused major flooding.

Several rugby clubs who were hit hard back then have once again been affected now, with Blackwood RFC describing the damage as “worse than last time” and “absolutely heartbreaking”.

The community of Blackwood and surrounding areas have already rallied to the club’s aid however, with volunteers on site pumping water out and cleaning-up what they can by hand.

Andrew Farina-Childs, Independent councillor for Blackwood, joined the clean-up crew and described the “horrendous” state in which the club has been left.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer, he said: “It was devastating. The club has just spent over £20,000 refurbishing its function room and you walk in there yesterday to see that. There must have been a metre of water across the club.”

Cllr Farina-Childs did say how “wonderful” it was to see such community spirit, with more than 40 people turning-up to help, but added that more needs to be done to prevent these incidents.

He continued: “This happened almost five-years-ago and not enough has been done since. Whether its the council or Natural Resources Wales, we have to find a solution.”

Fellow Blackwood councillor Nigel Dix added: “I’ve never seen anything like it. These events are only going to become more regular and we need to be prepared.

“I’d like to thank the council for their effort yesterday because they did have a lot on their plate.”

Other rugby clubs such as Cross Keys and New Tredegar have been left in similar situations.

A GoFundMe has already raised around £1,500 for Cross Keys RFC, which was hit with floods back in early 2020.

Meanwhile New Tredegar RFC said it has been left “devastated” after seeing the immediate damage on Sunday morning.

Businesses have also been hit by the flooding, with the Fishermans Rest pub in Bedwas “destroyed” according to owner Jonny Harris in a Facebook post.

Hundreds of people have offered to help and support the pub which was left in a similar state after Storm Dennis.

Another example of this community spirit was seen in Ynysddu yesterday after residents spent hours sweeping water back down a drain to prevent it breaching people’s homes.

Janine Reed, Independent councillor for the area, thanked those who helped, adding how “proud” she was to see an “amazing effort”.

Caerphilly Angling Club were also doing their best on Sunday to clean-up debris around the edge of the castle’s moat.

As of this morning (Monday November 25), rail services across the borough have been impacted due to the flooding, and a number of schools remain closed for the day.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said its thoughts are with those who suffered flooding.

They said: “Our emergency services and local authorities have worked tirelessly to support those affected, working in extremely difficult circumstances, and we thank them all for their ongoing efforts.

“The Deputy First Minister has been visiting some of the worst affected areas and speaking to local people and first responders, emergency services, local authorities and Natural Resources Wales.

“Given the scale of the impact, it will be vital that people continue to take extra care over the coming days and follow official advice. As the focus moves to recovery, it is important that those affected receive ongoing support and we will play our part alongside our partners in delivering that.

“Despite the significant impacts, it appears that flood defences played a role in protecting many homes and businesses, and we will continue our investment programme to make communities even more resilient to severe weather events in future.”