I lost a THIRD of my garden to £2B mega road & massive wall snaking around my home… it's a nightmare but I won't move

A £2BILLION road has been built around a pensioner's garden after he refused to move from the family home he has lived in for 65 years.
The new road, which curves around John Watkeys' home, officially opened yesterday in Merthyr Tydfill.
9
John, 75, was first told by officials that they would not need any of his land or house to build the Heads of Valleys road, but they later changed their minds.
However, John stood his ground and, instead, the road now curves around his home after he refused to have it knocked down.
The Welsh government offered to compulsory purchase the property, but the former microbiologist and keen gardener refused.
While John was luckily able to keep his forever home, he still lost a third of his beloved garden to the road scheme.
He said: 'The whole process has been upsetting. It's been stressful.
'I've been left picking up the pieces.
'It has been extremely stressful for a lot of years.'
9
9
9
John used to grow fruit and veg in the garden, and would also sit under an oak tree to watch bats, however, this was all lost to the new road.
He said: 'In the evenings, bats used to come around the oak tree, for the gants and insects.
'Now, you don't see any. I miss it. It was a sign of life, really.'
The 28-mile stretch of road snakes round his house and he is now left with a massive wall at the end of his garden, where he has started to replant.
John explained: 'They said we want to knock down your garage and we need your drive.
'You can imagine my response.
'So they found another way.'
He added: 'When I was a kid, you'd look out onto the garden, and there'd be goldfinches, bullfinches, tits, wrens, a couple of jays and woodpeckers.
'You'd hear owls in the evenings.
'You'd always have a few hedgehogs, but now, you're lucky if you see a few blackbirds.
'There aren't any birds left, nothing.
'It's almost devoid of the wildlife that you used to see.
'It's because the habitat is gone. I've lost oaks, I've lost hawthorns.
'They took down a lovely 70-year-old oak tree at the bottom of my garden.'
9
9
The Heads of the Valleys road has now officially opened after 23 years of roadworks and a £2billion spend.
What was once a relatively small A465, is now a major road.
Some nicknamed it the "road from hell," while the work that started in 2002 was being completed.
This was due to the congestion it caused, but now all the cones have gone and traffic flows freely.
First Minister Eluned Morgan, has named the upgrade Wales' biggest project since devolution in 1999, giving valleys communities "the same opportunities" as other areas.
John explained that now the roadworks are complete, he is trying to rebuild his garden in a bid to make it as special as it once was.
He said: 'I did a couple of hours out there yesterday digging it over, and it will need some more before I start planting.
'Unfortunately, at my age, I won't see the full effect of it.
'And all that is because of the road.'
John explained that despite initial assurances that the new road would not take any of his land, they later wanted to knock down part of his house, with the Welsh government even offering to buy it off of him.
However, John refused to sell the home he grew up in, in the Cefn Coed area of Merthyr.
He said that not only was this his childhood home, but both his parents and wife died there and he could not part with it.
Three tips for saving money on your garden
John recalled how, in February 2019, advisors from the firm involved in the road expansion requested a meeting and came to see him at his home.
He said: 'I can remember it like it was yesterday.
'They said 'our plans have changed. We're going to knock down your garage. We want the whole of your drive for our working area and you can have that bit back when we are finished.''
John continued: 'The heating, my hot water and everything was at the back of the garage, so I think you can imagine my response to that.
'You fight it as best you can.'
After challenging this offer, John said they came back to him asking just to take a bit of the garden.
He said: 'You get compensation but it still hasn't settled yet.
'It's a compulsory purchase so they can do what they want.
'They were pile driving right outside my back door.
'That was hellish noisy. Extremely noisy.'
9
9
9
John has been given interim compensation from the Welsh government for the loss of his garden but is waiting for a full settlement.
The pensioner isn't alone in his frustration, as neighbour, Daryl Wilkins, claims the works have left his home with cracks in the walls.
The former fish and chip van owner, 79, said: "I had a survey on the house before work started and there were no cracks.
"Now my house has cracks on outside and inside walls and that's because of vibrations from piling going on outside my house."
He added: "Now I've got damage throughout the house, it will take thousands of pounds to repair.
"I don't want compensation, I just want my house repaired."
Transport secretary Ken Skates said he thanked residents 'for their patience during the construction period' and that the Welsh government continued to 'work with them to resolve any issues.'
The Sun has reached out to Merthyr council and Transport for Wales for further comment.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Sun

11 minutes ago

• The Sun

Lottery results and numbers: Lotto and Thunderball draw tonight, June 21, 2025

THE NATIONAL Lottery results are in and it's time to find out who has won a life-changing amount of money tonight (June 21, 2025). Could tonight's £3.8 million jackpot see you handing in your notice, jetting off to the Bahamas or driving a new Porsche off a garage forecourt? 3 3 You can find out by checking your ticket against tonight's numbers below. Good luck! Tonight's National Lottery Lotto winning numbers are: 06, 10, 12, 13, 31, 58 and the Bonus Ball is 15. Tonight's National Lottery Thunderball winning numbers are: 07, 17, 28, 30, 37 and the Thunderball is 03. The first National Lottery draw was held on November 19 1994 when seven winners shared a jackpot of £5,874,778. The largest amount ever to be won by a single ticket holder was £42million, won in 1996. Gareth Bull, a 49-year-old builder, won £41million in November, 2020 and ended up knocking down his bungalow to make way for a luxury manor house with a pool. TOP 5 BIGGEST LOTTERY WINS ACROSS THE WORLD £1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history's biggest lottery prize £1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline £633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin £625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017 £575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018 Sue Davies, 64, bought a lottery ticket to celebrate ending five months of shielding during the pandemic — and won £500,000. Sandra Devine, 36, accidentally won £300k - she intended to buy her usual £100 National Lottery Scratchcard, but came home with a much bigger prize. The biggest jackpot ever to be up for grabs was £66million in January last year, which was won by two lucky ticket holders. Another winner, Karl managed to bag £11million aged just 23 in 1996. The odds of winning the lottery are estimated to be about one in 14million - BUT you've got to be in it to win it. 3

Telegraph

an hour ago

• Telegraph

Pea, pistachio and matcha cake

This cake is a real green extravaganza. I love matcha and I think the flavour goes well here – with the peas and pistachios, it's a green triple threat. That being said, matcha is a very specific flavour. If you haven't tried it before, I recommend grabbing an iced matcha or similar drink at a coffee shop before trying this recipe, especially as it's a more expensive ingredient. If you don't like matcha or don't want to use it, just leave it out and glaze the cake with a simple icing, then scatter over some pistachios. I use lime juice in the glaze to add a bit of zing, but you can use milk if you're not a lime fiend. Cooling time required Overview Prep time 20 mins Cook time 1 hr Serves 10 to 12 Ingredients 115ml sunflower or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing the tin 125g frozen peas 200g natural yoghurt 75g pistachios, plus extra for decorating, if you like 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 eggs 175g caster sugar 200g self-raising flour ½ tsp baking powder 1 tbsp matcha powder Zest of 1 lime For the glaze 125g icing sugar ½ tsp matcha powder 1½ tbsp lime juice (or you can use milk), or as needed Method Step Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Step Oil a 1.5-litre loaf tin and line with parchment paper. Step Place 125g frozen peas in a heatproof bowl and cover with freshly boiled water to defrost. Leave for a few minutes, then drain. Step Tip the peas into a food processor, add 100g natural yogurt and blitz until smooth. Step Throw in 75g pistachios and blitz until coarsely chopped. Set aside. Step In a mixing bowl, combine 115ml sunflower or vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 3 eggs, then stir in the remaining 100g yoghurt, 175g caster sugar, and the pea and pistachio mixture.

BBC News

2 hours ago

• BBC News

Six swans hatch at Druridge Bay nature reserve after five years

Six mute swan cygnets have hatched at a nature reserve for the first time in five Wildlife Trust (NWT) said the new family at the Hauxley haven in Druridge Bay was welcome news after a swan was shot dead weeks ago at another reserve. The chicks' parents set up home in the reserve last year, but failed to breed because they were too young. Alex Lister, NWT bay landscapes manager, said the "fluffy bundles" were a delight and he hoped for more chicks in the coming years. The last resident pair of swans moved on from the Druridge Bay reserve at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown, having lived on the reserve for nine years and raising more than 40 at NWT were devastated after members of the public found a 16-year-old female mute swan with a fatal head wound on the East Chevington nature reserve earlier this month. Mr Lister said: "What great news so soon after the sad news that a swan had been killed at our East Chevington reserve. "It really is lovely to see them back at Hauxley after a five-year absence and if they stay as long as their predecessors, there will be plenty more cygnets hatching over the next few years to delight staff and visitors." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.