Thankfully, Storm Claudia caused no major issues throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf. Crews, contractors, residents and businesses all played their part in preparing for the worst that fortunately passed.
During Storm Claudia, culverts were continually monitored, and where necessary, crews responded to clear debris build up. Across Rhondda Cynon Taf, we have 138 high risk culverts and a further 500 lower risk culverts. Crews responded to blocked gullies, requests for sandbags, as well as other support.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of the Council, said: “It’s incredibly fortunate that the impact of Storm Claudia was not as bad as it could have been, with neighbouring areas seeing a significant impact.
“I can’t thank residents and businesses enough for the way that they listened to the warnings and were proactive in planning for what could have been a deluge, nearly a year from the devastating impact of Storm Bert.
“Storm Claudia was the fifth weather warning in the last two weeks, with crews and contractors both preparing and reacting to these events. It’s been an extremely difficult few weeks for them, and I can’t thank them enough for their hard work and professionalism.
“Staff across the Council were mobilised or redeployed to support in the effort, and many of those doing their usual jobs going over and above to deliver services to residents and businesses. This includes social care staff and providers, our town centres team, contact centre staff, Meals on Wheels, school staff, and a special mention to our crematoria and cemeteries teams who were out in the heavy rain to ensure those saying goodbye to their loved ones could do so safely and with the respect it deserves.
“We worked with partners in Dwr Cymru Welsh Water to ensure pumps we’re positioned in Pontypridd town centre to activate if needed, with further pumps at key locations across Rhondda Cynon Taf to react to issues.
“Rhondda Cynon Taf Council delivers over 650 services every day for residents and businesses, and whilst the weather can be forecast, no one can predict exactly where each drop of rain will fall. We will always prioritise our response to severe weather and
“Thank you to everyone, our residents and businesses, our staff, contractors and partners.”
We clean thousands of drains and gullies every month as part of our routine inspection and cleansing programme, which you can see for yourself. This goes on all year around, with officers checking, cleaning and removing blockages that could contribute to flooding. This is on top of our proactive and reactive work when bad weather if forecast.
In response to the weather, hundreds of Council staff were mobilised. Our frontline teams and staff diverted from their usual roles, supported by our amazing contractors, were busy responding to reports from residents and businesses, as well as undertaking proactive work throughout the last few weeks. We’re proud of the work undertaken by our staff in such terrible weather. Previous storms have shown how devastating the impacts can be.
Many thanks to our contractors that supported crews, residents and businesses during this time:
- Andrew Barrett Plant Hire
- Arch
- Calibre
- Drainforce
- Gareth Jones Plant Hire
- GFT
- Hammonds
- Peter Simmons
- Prichard’s
- Trembeth Plant Hire
A special thanks to residents and businesses across Rhondda Cynon Taf who responded to the weather warnings, by following the safety advice, installing property defences, and reporting issues to us. You prepared for the worst but thankfully weren’t faced with it.
As a result of the better than expected impact, we are able to provide a positive update on Council services:
Saturday 15 November
Treforest Community Recycling Centre – OPEN
Ynysangharad War Memorial Park – OPEN
Cemeteries and Crematoria – OPEN
Lido – ALL SESSIONS CANCELLED IN ADVANCE
Grass Pitches – CLOSED
Sunday 16 November
Lido – OPEN for Cold Water Swims
Grass Pitches – TEAMS TO INSPECT BEFORE USE
Posted on 15/11/2025