A massive sinkhole, reaching 45 feet deep, caused a former Love Island winner to be displaced from his home and affected numerous individuals. After ten months of repair work amounting to £4 million, the sinkhole has finally been sealed. Liam Reardon, a reality TV personality, recounted how he and his family had to evacuate their residence when the sinkhole emerged in front of their house during stormy weather, prompting the evacuation of around 30 homes.
Engineers successfully remedied the collapsed underground culvert responsible for the sinkhole in Nant Morlais cul-de-sac, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, by filling it with 300 tonnes of concrete and 3,000 tonnes of stone. This extensive repair effort, following Storm Bert, was labeled the “biggest engineering task in south Wales” for the year. The site manager, Craig Howe, attributed the collapse to a landslide upstream that carried debris through the tunnel during the storm, causing the sinkhole.
Dating back to 1910, the culvert was described as “showing its age” by Howe. Despite initial concerns that some properties, including Liam Reardon’s, might need to be demolished, the repair work saved the house. Reardon, the 2021 Love Island champion, shared his surreal experience of having to relocate to an Airbnb due to the sinkhole.
The project manager, Jack Muldoon, detailed the intricate operation that involved creating a protective structure inside the sinkhole using steel and concrete. The completion of the sewer reconnection by Welsh Water is expected by the following month. Merthyr Tydfil Council expressed confidence in the timely completion of the remaining work, with a projected total cost slightly exceeding £4 million. Residents were thanked for their patience and cooperation throughout the repair process.
