Residents have said their safety concerns over Rheidol Power Station cabling work near their homes have come true after piping broke loose and rolled down a hill.

Residents in Cwm Rheidol, near Aberystwyth, have been at loggerheads with managers at the power station, which is operated by Statkraft, for months over the work which is seeing large-scale drilling up a hill near their homes.

But residents have been left shocked after half a kilometre of piping came loose and rolled down the hill, hitting one resident’s garage and garden, and landing on his car at around 10pm on Monday, 1 April.

James Salvona, one of the residents, said the piping had left “a hell of a mess” and looked “like black spaghetti right across the road”.

A clear-up operation by Statkraft workers was underway on Tuesday, but the work led to the road being closed for much of Tuesday.

Statkraft has not responded to a request for a comment.

Local councillor Rhodri Davies said while he appreciated the need for the work to take place, he said it was important that residents were kept fully informed about things.

He said: “I visited some of the residents after the incident. They are all in shock as they have imagined what could have been much worse.

“It’s hard to imagine the speed of the pipes that came down.

“The top of the trees were damaged by the force of the incident, cars were damaged, also properties.

“One resident said that at the beginning he thought it was thunder, but when he opened the door it was like something out of a film."

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