A huge funnel in the middle of the street can swallow up about 30 houses (5 photos)

Residents fear their homes could be buried underground. The council believes a collapsed culvert is to blame, with Storm Burt making the sinkhole bigger.





Residents of Nant Morlaix village in Pant, South Wales, are on edge after a giant sinkhole about 50ft (15m) deep suddenly appeared on one of the roads. Authorities have evacuated about 30 homes amid fears for people's safety and urged people to stay away from the area.

The hole first appeared on Saturday, November 30, as a small crack, but by Sunday morning it had grown to gigantic proportions, "capturing" almost the entire road. The driveway of one of the houses began to collapse, causing fear among local residents.



Homeowner Stephen Regan, 55, who moved to the area a year ago, spoke about the incident.

"It was very scary, I could hear everything collapsing. I'm afraid my house might be destroyed. It's something I've never seen before," he said.





Council officials believe the incident was caused by a collapsed culvert. The situation was made worse by Storm Burt, which brought heavy rain and flooding to the area, causing the crater to become even larger.

A local resident reported seeing large chunks of earth falling into the water at the bottom of the pit, which he believes is likely accelerating the collapse.



South Wales Police, Fire and Rescue Service and Merthyr Tydfil Council are all at the scene. The area has been cordoned off and the road has been closed in both directions. Authorities have thanked residents for their assistance but stressed that safety remains the top priority.

"Please avoid the area," police are urging.

Many residents, particularly older people, are terrified of further damage. While engineers assess the risks and plan a response, evacuees are waiting to be cleared to return to their homes.