More resilience needed for future storms - Wales' First Minister

As communities across Wales recover after the damage from Storms Bert and Darragh, the First Minister, Eluned Morgan, has said more resilience is needed in the future.

People across the country were issued with a rare red weather warning, and National Grid said more than 55,000 customers had no power supply across the South West, South Wales and the West Midlands due to Storm Darragh - with the majority of those in South Wales.

We've been speaking to Eluned Morgan as she marks four months in the role as Wales' FM.

It's certainly been a busy time with the weather amongst other things keeping her on her toes.

We asked the First Minister what will be in place to stop damage caused by future storms. She said: "Look, these storms are going to become more frequent and there's no ducking that.

"So what we can do is prepare the best we can.

"We've already spent £300 million on trying to defend people's properties from floods and things.

"And although it's really cold comforts for those who were flooded, actually there were thousands of homes that were protected because of that investment.

"It's been a really tough time, we're going to have to develop some resilience in our communities.

"To recognise these storms are not going away, but be ready to bounce back quicker."

Earlier last week, the Deputy First Minister proposed a Bill that could see the creation of an organisation with responsibility for a new regime to manage Wales’s disused tips, both coal and non-coal, has been introduced today.

Following the major landslide of a disused tip in Tylorstown (which caused over 60,000 tonnes of debris to fall into the Rhondda Fach River), and more recently, a landslip in Cwmtillery during Storm Bert, the Coal Tip Safety Task Force was established.

Within the Welsh Government's draft budget, they proposed an additional funding to repair and monitor coal tips on the same day new legislation to improve disused coal tip safety is introduced in the Senedd.

Further funding has also been put in the draft budget for local authorities to strengthen their storm defences.

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