They wanted to knock down my house to build a £2bn road - I said no so they bulldozed my beloved garden instead
A pensioner had his beloved garden bulldozed after telling the government he didn't want them to knock down his home to make way for a £2bn 'road from hell'.
Mr Watkeys, 75, was initially informed officials would not need any of his land or house of 65 years to build the new Heads of the Valleys highway which opened on Friday in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
But a change of mind from the Welsh government meant the longstanding local would go on to lose a third of his precious garden to the scheme where he once grew fruit and veg and sat under a beloved oak tree to watch bats.
The 75-year-old, a former microbiologist, was offered compulsory purchase of the property but he refused due to his attachment to the dwelling.
As a result, the 28-mile road now snakes round his house not through it and he's left with a massive wall at the end of his garden - which he has started to replant.
The Heads of the Valleys road officially opened on Friday after 23 years of roadworks and a £2bn spend.
Another affected man described it as 'like the road from hell' at the start of this year but added 'not even Chris Rea would dare come here'.
Proponents say the road - one of the UK's expensive and most complex - has made many journeys shorter and hope it will bring prosperity to among Britain's most deprived areas.
The 28-mile road now snakes round Mr Watkey's house not through it and he's left with a massive wall at the end of his garden - which he has started to replant
Mr Watkeys reminisced he used to love sitting in his garden at night which was then located next to the relatively small A465.
He said: 'The whole process has been upsetting. It's been stressful. I'm left picking up the pieces.
'It has been extremely stressful for a lot of years.
'They said we want to knock down your garage and we need your drive. You can imagine my response. So they found another way.
'I like all types of gardening. I grow some of my own veg - kidney beans, broad beans, French beans, peppers, chiles, tomatoes.
'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 habit 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.
'In the evenings, bats used to come around the oak tree, for the gnats and insects. Now, you don't see any. I miss it. It was a sign of life, really.
'It's the rebuilding of it. I've turned it over once. I want to put in some lilacs and other plants which I've saved.
'I did a couple of hours out there yesterday digging it over, and it will need some more before I start planting.
'I wanted to plant some stuff in it this year, but somehow I can't see it. It's going to take me another 12 months to dig it over and get some humus in it.
'Unfortunately, at my age, I wont see the full effect of it', he said, adding: 'And all that is because of the road.'
Mr Watkeys explained there were initially assurances the new road would not take any of his land - but the powers that be then said they wanted to knock down part of his house.
It was then that the Welsh government offered to buy the house, in the Cefn Coed area of Merthyr, but Mr Watkeys said he declined.
Mr Watkeys explained there were initially assurances the new road would not take any of his land - but the powers that be then said they wanted to knock down part of his house
The keen gardener told of how he grew up in the home and both his parents and wife died there - and that he could not part with it.
Mr Watkeys 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: 'Two of them came and sat down. I made them a cup of tea and a cup of coffee. I can remember it now like it was yesterday.
'They said "our plans have changed. We're going to knock your garage down.
'"We want the whole of your drive for our working area and you can have that bit back when we're finished".
'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 that initial offer, Mr Watkeys said the firm came back and said 'we've found another way of doing it. We just need this bit of the garden'.
Mr Watkeys said: 'You get compensation but it still hasn't been settled yet. It's a compulsory purchase so they can do what they want.
Transport secretary Ken Skates said he thanked residents 'for their patience during the construction period' and the Welsh government continued to 'work with them to resolve any issues'
'They were piledriving right outside my back door. That was hellish noisy. Extremely noisy.'
Mr Watkeys has been given interim compensation from the Welsh government for the loss of his garden but is awaiting a full settlement.
Transport secretary Ken Skates said he thanked residents 'for their patience during the construction period' and the Welsh government continued to 'work with them to resolve any issues'.
The A465 crosses the south Wales coalfields, a national park and twists close to people's homes in some parts.
Almost 70 structures - including more than 40 new bridges and a dozen new junctions - have been built amid the upgrade.
Workers planted 285,000 trees to mitigate the 'significant environmental impact'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
3 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Scottish Government ending use of WhatsApp after criticism
The Government had previously agreed to end its use of WhatsApp and other non-official messaging applications by spring next year. READ NEXT: First Bus receive huge accolade at Scottish Transport Awards 2025 The policy comes into force on Friday though some teams will continue to phase out the app by the end of the year. As part of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, it emerged ministers and top civil servants deleted WhatsApp messages which had been requested by the inquiry team. The Conservatives attacked former first minister Nicola Sturgeon in particular for deleting messages, though she said they did not relate to Government business. Her successor, Humza Yousaf, ordered a review of mobile messaging which was carried out by Emma Martins – the former Channel Islands data protection commissioner. READ NEXT: Abusive social media posts directed at MSPs tripled in past year Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said the policy will apply to all Scottish Government employees, including contractors, senior civil servants, special advisers and ministers. Ms Forbes said: 'We are setting out a clear approach to ending Government use of mobile messaging apps, and this will support wider work to deliver on our commitment to openness and transparency. 'The use of mobile messaging apps increased during the pandemic as staff worked remotely in unprecedented and difficult circumstances. Having reflected on our working practices, we are now implementing changes to the use of such apps. 'This follows on from actions to implement other recommendations from Ms Martins's externally-led review including updating our hybrid working policy. 'I want to reassure the public that it is a priority of this Government to maintain secure and searchable data, ensuring compliance with all records management rules. 'We will continue to act to ensure our data policies are robust, especially considering technological advances.' Opposition MSPs have said the new policy is a 'clear admission' from the Government that the pandemic deletions were wrong. Scottish Conservative MSP Craig Hoy said: 'This is as close as we'll get to an apology from the SNP for the shameful, industrial-scale deletion of Covid WhatsApp messages which was orchestrated by John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon. 'This change in policy is all well and good but the horse has already bolted for bereaved families who were denied the answers they deserved over the decisions taken by SNP ministers during the pandemic. 'Secrecy and evasion are hardwired into this SNP Government, so the Scottish people will not be duped into thinking one overdue concession marks a change in culture.'
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
UK readies charter flights out of Tel Aviv as Middle East crisis spirals
British authorities are scrambling to provide charter flights to evacuate UK citizens from Israel amid spiralling conflict in the Middle East. Downing Street urged Britons in the region to register their presence with the Foreign Office as the crisis deepens and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called on all sides to reach a diplomatic outcome. Number 10 on Friday morning said that the situation remains 'fast-moving' and would continue to be monitored closely as the Government works with Israeli authorities to ready flights out of Tel Aviv. A spokesman added: 'We are advising British nationals to continue to register their presence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to be contactable with further guidance on these flights. 'The Foreign Secretary will shortly announce that the Government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport once airspace reopens.' Foreign Secretary David Lammy said work was under way to provide the flights 'based on levels of demand' from UK citizens when airspace reopens. Land routes out of Israel remain open and British staff are on hand to support UK nationals who have crossed the border, he added. Sir Keir has also urged Donald Trump to step back from military action against Iran after a series of sabre-rattling posts from the US President on his Truth Social platform. The Prime Minister said there is a 'real risk of escalation' in the conflict, adding that there had previously been 'several rounds of discussions with the US' and 'that, to me, is the way to resolve this issue'. Israeli air strikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early on Friday, Iranian media reported. Since the conflict erupted last week, at least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Meanwhile, at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. It remains unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation that US involvement could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs, which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily. Mr Lammy arrived in Geneva for talks with the Iranian foreign minister and European allies as the UK presses for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Foreign Secretary is meeting Abbas Araghchi on Friday alongside his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before Mr Trump decides on whether to take military action against Tehran. In a statement read by his press secretary on Thursday, Mr Trump said there was still 'a substantial chance of negotiations' and said he would make a decision on deploying US forces 'within the next two weeks'. Mr Trump had previously said he 'may' join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: 'I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Friday's meeting with the so-called E3 countries follows Mr Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'.
Leader Live
27 minutes ago
- Leader Live
UK readies charter flights out of Tel Aviv as Middle East crisis spirals
Downing Street urged Britons in the region to register their presence with the Foreign Office as the crisis deepens and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called on all sides to reach a diplomatic outcome. Number 10 on Friday morning said that the situation remains 'fast-moving' and would continue to be monitored closely as the Government works with Israeli authorities to ready flights out of Tel Aviv. The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. Meeting with @SecRubio and @SteveWitkoff in the White House today, we discussed how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two… — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 19, 2025 A spokesman added: 'We are advising British nationals to continue to register their presence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to be contactable with further guidance on these flights. 'The Foreign Secretary will shortly announce that the Government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport once airspace reopens.' Foreign Secretary David Lammy said work was under way to provide the flights 'based on levels of demand' from UK citizens when airspace reopens. Land routes out of Israel remain open and British staff are on hand to support UK nationals who have crossed the border, he added. Sir Keir has also urged Donald Trump to step back from military action against Iran after a series of sabre-rattling posts from the US President on his Truth Social platform. The Prime Minister said there is a 'real risk of escalation' in the conflict, adding that there had previously been 'several rounds of discussions with the US' and 'that, to me, is the way to resolve this issue'. Israeli air strikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early on Friday, Iranian media reported. Since the conflict erupted last week, at least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Meanwhile, at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. It remains unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation that US involvement could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs, which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily. Mr Lammy arrived in Geneva for talks with the Iranian foreign minister and European allies as the UK presses for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Foreign Secretary is meeting Abbas Araghchi on Friday alongside his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before Mr Trump decides on whether to take military action against Tehran. In a statement read by his press secretary on Thursday, Mr Trump said there was still 'a substantial chance of negotiations' and said he would make a decision on deploying US forces 'within the next two weeks'. Mr Trump had previously said he 'may' join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: 'I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Friday's meeting with the so-called E3 countries follows Mr Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'.
