Residents in a village that flooded during Storm Dennis say they feel “angry” and “abandoned” after flood defences were rejected due to their cost.
Building a taller flood wall or buying the most at risk houses in Ynysybwl, Rhondda Cynon Taf was “not economically viable”, said the environment body, Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
Home owners said they were left fearing for the safety of their families.
NRW said it would “not walk away from the community”.
Paul Thomas has lived on Clydach Terrace in Ynysybwl for 40 years. His home was flooded during Storm Dennis in 2020.
He said: “They may not be walking away, but they’re certainly doing nothing.”
The 66-year-old said residents had been told “money was no object”, but said they now feel like they have been “abandoned”.
He added: “There’s a risk to life”.
Mr Thomas said the water level was above his head when it entered his home in 2020.
“I was knocked through the wall, the water came in behind me, I didn’t know what was up what was down, I managed to swim to the back of the property,” he said.
“I swum across my backyard onto my extension roof and jumped in through the bedroom window.
“To live here, the danger that we are facing is just too great”, he added.
