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Landslides in south Wales leave locals fearing 'another Aberfan' | ITV News

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    [Roaring, rushing noises]
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    [People] Whoa. Whoa. That's bad.
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    [Announcer] It's Sunday, and
    the side of a mountain has just collapsed.
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    It crashes into the river that
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    runs through the Rhondda Var,
    near Tylorstown.
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    Nobody is injured, but
    it's only today
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    the sheer scale of that collapse
    is obvious.
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    Something else that is clear
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    is the amount of coal
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    that was still
    on this mountainside.
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    Gerald watched it all happen.
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    [Gerald Durham]
    There was a roar,
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    and you could see the muck
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    starting to slip
    from the top area, there.
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    Within a couple of hours,
    the whole lot had come down there.
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    [Announcer] Do you feel vulnerable?
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    [Gerald] Yeah. Yeah.
    With this going on, yeah.
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    These valleys are surrounded by coal.
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    They were built on coal.
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    It's a frightening prospect,
    you know.
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    If that could've happened
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    on this side of the mountain,
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    it would be a totally different outcome.
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    [Announcer] His father Cliff
    is a former miner.
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    You look at this landslide now,
    what goes through your mind?
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    [Cliff Durham] Oh, Aberfan,
    straight away.
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    Believe me, we don't want
    to see that again.
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    I wouldn't.
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    [Announcer] I've been
    speaking to people
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    on this street.
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    It's Bryn Heulog, and it's
    opposite the landslide.
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    They described yesterday as eerie.
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    The sound of slurry
    crashing down the mountain.
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    They are just thankful
    that this happened
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    in front of their homes,
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    not behind them.
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    The greenery of the valleys
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    disguises the amount of coal
    that is still hidden here.
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    In the 1970s, 80s and 90s,
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    the land was reclaimed.
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    But now, there are calls
    by local people,
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    to inspect all the areas
    where coal was dumped.
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    [Chris Bryant] We should definitely
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    be inspecting all the former
    coal tips.
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    Making sure that if
    there is excessive water in there,
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    that that is being drained off,
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    make sure everything is safe.
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    Because obviously, people
    have seen the horrific pictures
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    on television news, of
    what's happened in Pontypridd.
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    People might not have seen it
    for themselves.
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    It is much bigger than
    it looked on television.
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    So, people are, of course, worried.
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    It is one thing, having water coming,
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    coursing through your house.
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    It is quite another, having, um,
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    slurry, and the top of the mountain
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    coming down through your house.
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    [Announcer] But, who is responsible?
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    Who owns the land?
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    The Coal Authority says,
    it's not them.
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    The Councils say,
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    they're not sure if they do.
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    Who is responsible for these sites,
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    and who is maintaining them?
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    [Andrew Morgan] At present,
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    we are in discussion with
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    Natural Resources, Wales.
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    Clears on the side of the hill.
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    It is the big one.
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    Rhondda Var is a concern to us.
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    We have engineers on site right now,
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    monitoring it.
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    [Announcer] Do you think that is
    your land,
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    or Natural Resources Wales' land?
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    [Mr. Morgan] We are still in discussion
    over that.
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    Um, but at present,
    we have engineers on site,
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    trying to understand
    if there is a risk
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    to the properties, or the public.
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    Certainly there is some concern
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    about the moment that happened
    yesterday,
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    and what's caused it.
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    Is it just water on the surface,
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    or is there a deeper issue
    within the mountain?
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    That is currently under investigation.
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    [Rushing noises.]
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    [Announcer] This is what happened
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    after a weekend of heavy rain.
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    These valleys know all too well
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    of their history with landslides.
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    Now, some are questioning
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    whether this was a one-off,
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    or an early warning.
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    Rob Osborne, ITV News.
Title:
Landslides in south Wales leave locals fearing 'another Aberfan' | ITV News
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