THIS WEEKEND Storm Bert wreaked havoc on transport services and brought devastating flooding to towns across the region. 

In the early hours of Saturday (November 23) morning, Storm Bert hit South Wales, and several flood alerts were triggered.  

The M48 Severn bridge was closed in both directions due to the strong wind which had a knock-on effect of 50-minute delays on the M4.  

The Met Office had issued a yellow weather warning for wind and rain. However, it was not until Sunday that the full force of the storm was felt.  

A yellow weather warning is a familiar sight for the Argus readers, but on Sunday the devastating floods showed the real impact of the storm. 

In the early hours of Sunday, the M48 once again closed in both directions due to strong winds.  

There were several flood warnings issued with 50 red warnings and 60 amber alerts from Natural Resource Wales.  

Throughout the day, residents across Gwent and Monmouthshire saw increasingly shocking images and video footage as rivers burst their banks. 

The flooding took place across the region including but not limited to Risca, Ebbw Vale, Abertillery, Newport, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Abersychan and Blackwood. 

It may have felt like the real question was where wasn’t flooding, as road closure after road closure was announced.  

Natural Resource WalesNatural Resource Wales (Image: Natural Resource Wales)

A map of all the flood warnings across Wales showed the national emergency taking place, which was even addressed by the First Minister of Wales herself.  

First Minister for Wales, Eluned Morgan, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said: 

"Diolch to emergency services and council staff working hard to keep us safe during this awful weather and flooding. 

"Follow advice from your council, emergency services and Natural Resource Wales." 

An important message was issued by Gwent Police asking the public to abide by the road closure and not attempt to drive through floodwater. 

It was in the early morning, that within minutes a rugby club in Crosskeys Newport was hit by flash flooding.  

Cross Keys RFC says it is ‘heartbroken’ after it was hit by the devastating flash flooding at around 7.20am. 

Cross Keys RFC is 'heartbroken' after the floodingCross Keys RFC is 'heartbroken' after the flooding (Image: Supplied) Colin Vernal, 74, who runs the social club, was cleaning inside before the flood hit the premises. 

“I was in there at twenty past seven cleaning the club and there was not a drop of water, but by half past it was a job managing to get out of there.” 

He described the sound of floodwater hitting the building as loud as a ‘bomb going off’. 

The club previously flooded in 2019 and raised over £140,000 to repair damage to the furniture and carpets.  

The club is 'devastated' and heartbroken by the damage and how much this flood will set them back. 

The flooding by the Hardwick RoundaboutThe flooding by the Hardwick Roundabout (Image: Supplied) In the morning, a local resident in Abergavenny witnessed the road completely flooded and what appeared to be a landslide at the Hardwick Roundabout. 

When the River Usk burst its banks over Castle Meadows in Abergavenny, the water rushed into the surrounding fields and roads. 

The flooding in Abergavenny as the River Usk burst its banksThe flooding in Abergavenny as the River Usk burst its banks (Image: Supplied) It was not just the roads that were flooded, as images showed a children’s play area at the Boating Lake park and garden in Cwmbran flooded. 

The flooding throughout Newport disrupted local bus services and train lines between Abergavenny and Pontypool were completely blocked. 

At around 10.19am photographs and videos of significant flooding on roads and residential streets in Abersychan began to emerge. 

The flooding in AbersychanThe flooding in Abersychan (Image: Supplied) The M48 Severn Crossing may have reopened at around 11.20am as winds died down, but the flooding continued to wreak havoc in towns across the region. 

At around 12.50, the River Ebbw at Tredegar Park in Newport began to breach its banks and residents received calls warning them of potential imminent flooding. 

In the early afternoon, a street in The Hawthorns in Caerleon was completely flooded, reported a local resident. 

In a video shared with the Argus, water levels can be seen so high that a skip floated towards parked cars at the Blackwood Rugby Club. 

A fundraiser has been set up to try and raise money to save the rugby club in Blackwood and a fundraiser for the Cross Keys RFC will be set up in a day or so. 

The flooded gravestonesThe flooded gravestones (Image: Supplied)

In Newport, an ominous picture shared by Mark Powis showed the gravestones at St Woolos Cemetery flooded with water.