Tata Steel apologises to Port Talbot residents who say homes 'shook' during demolition

Residents said their homes "shook" after a loud bang was heard in Port Talbot on Wednesday evening. It came from the Tata Steel site where a demolition was carried out on one of its now redundant coke ovens gas holder. It ceased operation together with the site's heavy-end in September 2024. A rolling road block was put in place by South Wales Police on the M4 between junctions 37 Pyle and 38 Margam at 6.30pm as the demolition took place. But some in the local area claimed they had no idea it was going to happen. Stay informed on everything Neath Port Talbot by signing up to our newsletter here . One woman wrote online: "Would have been nice if residents had been informed, my whole house shook." A second added: "You could of warned us, my patio door shook and my animals were scared as well as myself." And a third wrote: "A day's notice would have been nice. My daughter is terrified now." A statement from Tata Steel reads: "People working and living in the Port Talbot area may have just heard a loud noise emanating from the Port Talbot steelworks. "This was the result of the planned demolition of the empty, redundant coke ovens gas holder, which has been completed safely as part of the ongoing engineering works on the site. "The gas holder ceased operation with the closure of the site’s heavy-end in September 2024. "This demolition was required to make space for future raw materials handling areas for the new three million tonne per year capacity electric arc furnace. "Our thanks goes to the whole team involved from Tata Steel and our contractor partners Thompson of Prudhoe and PDC, in what was a complex programme of work. We apologise for any inconvenience caused." Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.