The authority says the repairs, completed in the club’s car park where a giant sinkhole first appeared two years ago, may be linked to the severe flooding which left the busy Cwmbwrla roundabout under water and forced the closure of surrounding roads.
Dozens of homes and businesses were affected, while cars were submerged and traffic chaos spread across the city.
Council action
Council leader Rob Stewart confirmed the authority has contacted the club for information about the work.
“Cwmfelin Social Club closed due to a sinkhole two years ago and the club appointed contractors to demolish the club. The contractors have recently filled the sinkhole. We have had no issues in the last two years with flooding in the area, while pumping equipment has been doing its job. We have today written to the club seeking details of the works their contractors completed.”
The council says its own culverts and gulleys in the area were inspected and cleared before the weekend’s heavy rain.
Welsh Water waiting on demolition
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) has said it cannot access the collapsed culvert and foul sewer system beneath the club until demolition is completed. The council has urged the club and its contractors to engage with DCWW “as a matter of urgency” to speed up the process.
In the meantime, emergency pumping equipment remains in place on the inbound carriageway to keep water levels down.
Cllr Stewart added:
“We are doing everything we can and are working with DCWW to increase the temporary pumping equipment on‑site to help reduce flood waters. This means the in‑bound traffic is still restricted and we apologise for the inconvenience caused, but our priority has to be to reduce the threat of flooding until the culvert can be repaired.”
Long‑running saga
The sinkhole first opened up in 2023, forcing the closure of the club and displacing hundreds of members. Since then, the collapsed culvert beneath the site has been repeatedly linked to flooding on Heol y Gors and at the Cwmbwrla roundabout2.
Local councillor Peter Black has previously warned that the culvert collapse has blocked the watercourse, causing water to back up and overwhelm drains during heavy rain.
Despite repeated calls for action, the club remains standing and demolition has yet to be completed. Residents have expressed frustration at the lack of progress, warning that the community has lost a much‑loved social hub while also facing repeated disruption from flooding.
