A young mother has told how she fears for her four-year-old daughter who is ‘trapped’ in a block of flats built on a busy roundabout.
Chelsea Griffiths, 22, has to ‘escape’ at specific times to avoid the heavy traffic surrounding their two-bedroomed apartment in the village of Penywaun, South Wales.
Eight-months pregnant Ms Griffiths said: ‘I know the busy moments in the day when buses are on the roundabout – that’s the most dangerous.
‘So I have worked out the times to come and go as safely as possible, otherwise we are trapped.’
Another resident said that the location of the flats reminds them of nine nights they spent in prison.
Young mother Charlotte Griffiths (above) has told how she fears for her four-year-old daughter who is ‘trapped’ in a block of flats built on a busy roundabout in the village of Penywaun, South Wales
Ms Griffiths has to cross the road at least twice a day when she takes daughter Osha to and from school every day
Ms Griffiths says she is desperate to leave the block of flats as soon as her baby boy is born next month.
She has to cross the road at least twice a day when she takes daughter Osha to and from school.
The mother said: ‘It’s a risk every time we do it – I’ve had to grab her by the coat and pull her back on the grass a few times.
‘It’s the buses that are the worst but I know what time they get here so we can avoid them.
‘Whoever decided to put a block of flats in the middle of a busy roundabout needs to find a different job.
‘It’s no fun living here. I’m desperate to move.’
Ms Griffiths, who works in security at festivals, has lived at the council flats for two years with Osha, and their pets, a kitten called Ginge and a rabbit, also called Osha.
Ms Griffiths, who works in security at festivals, has lived at the council flats for two years with Osha, and their pets, a kitten called Ginge and a rabbit, also called Osha
She is expecting a baby boy with her mechanic boyfriend Callum, 24, at the end of next month and the couple are hoping to find a place of their own later this year.
The flats on the upper level of the eyesore called Waunllwyd all have balconies but all the residents have to look out on is cars whizzing around the roundabout.
Another mum, 34, who has a ground floor flat, said: ‘It’s like living on an island, I feel quite cut off even though the rest of the village is only a few yards away.
‘I don’t let my kids outside to play, it’s just too dangerous. I’ve lived at the flats for five years but I’d love to get out of here to somewhere safer.’
‘God knows why they built the flats here with no thought to how we get to and from our homes.’
Locals say the land was originally earmarked for industrial use but Rhondda Cynon Taff Council decided to put the three storey residential block there instead.
To make matters worse there is no pedestrian crossing for the residents to access the village or their cars which they have to park a short distance away.
Ms Griffiths, who works in security at festivals, has lived at the council flats for two years with Osha, and their pets, a kitten called Ginge and a rabbit, also called Osha
Father-of-one Rhys Davies, 31, who lives on the top floor, said: ‘It’s a dangerous place to live, there are idiots speeding round the roundabout and we’re trapped in the middle.
‘The flats should never have been built here.’
Construction worker Rhys, who has broken back, has lived at the flats for two years and was previously homeless.
He said: ‘I had to take what they offered me but it’s not great, especially for my little girl.
‘I’ve been trying to get out ever since I’ve lived here – people with kids should have somewhere better to live than on a roundabout.’
Luke Rombach, 33, who lives in a first floor bachelor pad flat said: ‘I once spent nine nights in prison on remand and when I moved here it reminded me of being behind bars.
‘But I’m the longest serving resident, I’ve been here 10 years, and I’ve got used to it.’
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council was contacted for comment.
