Weather 1961/1962

13th SEPTEMBER 1962

FLOODS HAVOC AFTER STORM

The torrential rainstorm which hit Carmarthenshire on Tuesday left behind it a trail of devastation unequalled for a number of years.

Rivers overflowed their banks, flooding roads, fields and houses.

In some cases animals were temporarily marooned in their flooded homes. Neighbours paddled in waist-high depths of filthy water to reach stranded families and help rescue sodden belongings.

The Amman , Towy and Loughor rivers were transformed into raging torrents, attracting clusters of wide-eyed spectators at every bridge.

The floods gave Ammanford Fire Brigade one of their busiest ever days, with calls for assistance coning in from various parts of the district.

One of their fist calls was to Pantyffynnon Colliery, where the pit-head baths pump rooms and locker rooms were submerged in a three-foot depth of muddy water from an overflowing stream nearby.

PUMPED AWAY

The Brigade later pumped away water from the basement of Llandybie Secondary Modern School and from the basement of Blaenau Lodge, Saron, where cellars and store-rooms were submerged in a seven-foot depth of water.

At Dyffryn Road , Saron, residents fought to prevent soil drainages from nearby fields entering their homes with the aid of sand-bags and hurriedly constructed earth banks.

STRANDED PASSENGERS ‘RESCUED' BY LORRY

LORRY RESCUE

A single-decker bus broke down at Penybank as it was crossing a flooded part of the main Ammanford-Swansea road, and passengers were “rescued by a passing lorry.

A culvert running beneath the yard of Ammanford police station flooded and blew off manhole covers.

The usually – placid River Gwyddfan overflowed its banks at Llandybie, flooding houses and blocking the main Ammanford-Llandeilo road to light vehicles.

MATCH CANCELLED

Dolgarreg Forge on the main Llandeilo-Llandovery road was flooded to a depth of 14 inches, while more flooding occurred at Brown Hill, on the Llanwrda road.

Water entered the ground floors of a few houses at Bonllwyn, Ammanford, and at Rhosmaen, Llandeilo, damaging furniture, carpets and linoleum.

The eagerly awaited “show-piece” match between Llandybie and Swansea had to be cancelled while the Grammar School rugby field at Rhosmaen was completely under water.



	21st DECEMBER 1961
	ICE HOLDS UP FIREMEN ON MOUNTAIN TOP
	NO PICTURES AVAILABLE
	AMMANFORD FIREMEN SPENT AN HOUR IN ARCTIC CONDITIONS ON TUESDAY NIGHT CLEARING A PATH FOR THEIR SIX-TON WATER TENDER AFTER IT HAD STUCK ON AN ICY ROAD.
	The firemen, led by Llanelly Station Officer D. L. Evans were called out to a blaze reported at the isolated Cynghordy Farm on the Black Mountain . On arrival they were told that: no call for help had been sent from the farm. But on another part of the mountain smoke and flames could be seen, and the six-man crew moved off towards this blaze. They later discovered that the flames were from a 40 acre patch of mountain land set alight to clear it of rushes and heather. Yesterday, Station Officer Evans told the “Guardian” that the call was not a malicious hoax. “Someone at Brynamman had seen the fire on the mountain and thought it was at the farm,” he said. It was after they had left the farm that the water tender got stuck on a 50-yard long patch of ice, where water had over-flown from a ditch and had frozen on the road. Firemen, wielding pickaxes and shovels broke up the ice. Chippings from a roadside dump a few hundred yards away were carried to the spot. Then with the firemen pushing, driver Steve Prout got the vehicle over the patch of ice on to a clear stretch of road. The crew's return journey took just under two hours.	STORY: DAVID THOMAS PHOTO: NO PHOTOS

	13th SEPTEMBER 1962 FLOODS HAVOC AFTER STORM The torrential rainstorm which hit Carmarthenshire on Tuesday left behind it a trail of devastation unequalled for a number of years. Rivers overflowed their banks, flooding roads, fields and houses. In some cases animals were temporarily marooned in their flooded homes. Neighbours paddled in waist-high depths of filthy water to reach stranded families and help rescue sodden belongings. The Amman , Towy and Loughor rivers were transformed into raging torrents, attracting clusters of wide-eyed spectators at every bridge. The floods gave Ammanford Fire Brigade one of their busiest ever days, with calls for assistance coning in from various parts of the district. One of their fist calls was to Pantyffynnon Colliery, where the pit-head baths pump rooms and locker rooms were submerged in a three-foot depth of muddy water from an overflowing stream nearby. PUMPED AWAY The Brigade later pumped away water from the basement of Llandybie Secondary Modern School and from the basement of Blaenau Lodge, Saron, where cellars and store-rooms were submerged in a seven-foot depth of water. At Dyffryn Road , Saron, residents fought to prevent soil drainages from nearby fields entering their homes with the aid of sand-bags and hurriedly constructed earth banks. STRANDED PASSENGERS ‘RESCUED' BY LORRY LORRY RESCUE A single-decker bus broke down at Penybank as it was crossing a flooded part of the main Ammanford-Swansea road, and passengers were “rescued by a passing lorry. A culvert running beneath the yard of Ammanford police station flooded and blew off manhole covers. The usually – placid River Gwyddfan overflowed its banks at Llandybie, flooding houses and blocking the main Ammanford-Llandeilo road to light vehicles. MATCH CANCELLED Dolgarreg Forge on the main Llandeilo-Llandovery road was flooded to a depth of 14 inches, while more flooding occurred at Brown Hill, on the Llanwrda road. Water entered the ground floors of a few houses at Bonllwyn, Ammanford, and at Rhosmaen, Llandeilo, damaging furniture, carpets and linoleum. The eagerly awaited “show-piece” match between Llandybie and Swansea had to be cancelled while the Grammar School rugby field at Rhosmaen was completely under water.