'We drove 130 miles to help after flooding'

A team from a Coventry-based charity has travelled to south Wales to help support people in Pontypridd affected by the flooding.

Volunteers from Langar Aid, part of humanitarian organisation Khalsa Aid International, said they wanted to do their bit to help those affected by Storm Bert.

A team including Marcus Lapsa, originally from Nelson, Caerphilly, took 200 packed lunches, cleaning materials and dehumidifiers.

"It was a bit emotional, obviously. It's an honour and a privilege to be able to help communities in need," said Mr Lapsa.

The 68-year-old grandfather said he had met an older couple who showed him the damage caused to their home by the flooding.

"When people are at their lowest and then they have that touch of humanity and they know someone is there that cares then it does bring communities together," he said.

A major clean-up operation has been in place after the flooding caused by Storm Bert, with politicians and residents expressing concern about what they said was a lack of preparation and insufficient warning.

In the former mining community of Cwmtillery, Blaenau Gwent, buildings were left deep in sludge and mud after a landslip. Some properties were evacuated as a result.

Mr Lapsa travelled to Trallwn Community Centre early on Monday, alongside fellow volunteers, Kully Kaur Deol and Bill Mato.

"Everybody was so lovely and so welcoming," said Mr Lapsa, adding that helping others was "what Welsh people do" and so it was good to be able to support them.

Langar Aid project manager Avtar Kaur said: "We saw what was happening across Wales and how people were getting affected by the floods and we were trying to see where we could help out."

She said the charity had a good group of volunteers and what they did was "following the Sikh ethos of recognising the human race as one".

Ms Kaur said they had had many positive comments from the people of Pontypridd and it was "just amazing to see the community spirit and how everyone comes together".

Sabrina Butler, an on-call firefighter for Treorchy and control room operator, is among staff at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) who have been praised for their dedication in dealing with the flooding.

Ms Butler continued to work despite the whole ground floor of her home having been flooded.

She said: "My fridge was floating around the kitchen, but I left my partner and my grandfather at home to deal with the clean-up operation whilst I went to work and stayed in the control room to assist.

"The calls kept coming, and I knew I had to be there.”

Natalie Pearce from SWFRS said: “We weren’t expecting Sabrina to come to work, knowing that her house had been flooded."

Ms Pearce praised the "selfless dedication to duty" shown by employees, including some staff who stayed on into the next shift and worked over 24 hours.

"Our control operators stood by their team members during a period of high call demand to make sure we could help the people of our communities at a time of devastation which is both mentally and physically debilitating," she added, saying their thoughts were with everyone affected by Storm Bert.

The fire service said they had received 203 calls between 5:00 and 8:00 GMT on Sunday, with the number increasing as the morning progressed.

By 9:00 GMT, a further 108 calls were logged, peaking at 120 calls awaiting action at one point during the day.

A resident in Llanhilleth, Blaenau Gwent, told the BBC that "many people are on edge" following the flooding.

Sian Rhiannon Samuel, who lives on Railway Terrace, said CCTV installed on the side of her home captured the moment water started pumping up out of the ground on Sunday.

She said many homes there had been flooded and some had "lost everything downstairs".

Ms Samuel added that there were concerns about safety, with "exposed wires" near where the flood began.

"It's scary how quickly the flooding came - it literally tore the road open like it was nothing," she said.