These shocking photographs show an entire housing estate was left to rot with more than 100 derelict homes lying empty and vandalised like a scene from a post-apocalyptic film.
The two crumbling streets in Merthyr Vale in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, have been looted by metal thieves, are strewn with litter and scrawled in graffiti that reads 'keep out of hell'.
The former residents were turfed out in 2018 - leaving many personal belongings in their wake - when the 112 houses were earmarked for demolition after a series of devastating floods in 2008.
But eerie photos captured by Shaun Ashton, 28, show the area where the once tight-knit community lived is still boarded-up and abandoned despite 1,290 people in desperate need of social housing in the area.
The furious father-of-six has slammed Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association, who now own all the properties on Taff Street and Crescent Street, for failing to utilise them given the housing crisis engulfing parts of Britain.
More than a decade since it was announced the properties would be demolished, but Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council said this would 'hopefully commence' later this year.
Mr Ashton said: 'It's devastating. [The streets were] almost post-apocalyptic - like a scene from [the film] I Am Legend. It's not very often you have that full length of the street empty. You're walking around and it's very eerie.
'Many homeless throughout South Wales were left on the streets during the ice cold winter we had, then the rain that followed. The streets were earmarked for demolition in 2008, yet they still stand today.
'It's an odd atmosphere. It's upsetting given the housing crisis the country as a whole is facing. More than 100 homes were there and could have been utilised at the least as emergency shelter.'
After speaking with former residents of the two streets, Mr Ashton told how he heard their 'heartbreaking' stories and one resident aged 86 claimed they felt they had been 'ripped from their community'.
Although the houses have been vandalised and stripped of valuable metal, Mr Ashton said they still 'stand strong'. The photojournalist added: 'It was quite upsetting hearing the former residents share their experiences.
'They've explained how they were just ripped from their community and haven't settled within their new homes. I find this heartbreaking, especially when one of the residents that spoke to me was 86.
'I don't think many of them will move on fully. Their frustration appears to be coming from the fact they were forced to leave their homes, leave behind their possessions in some cases and yet the houses are still there.
'They were told that they were dangerous and yet they stand strong. Just knowing this side of the story makes it gut-wrenching to know that they have all been treated so badly by their own council. They would all move back today if they were given the opportunity.'
According to Merthyr Tydfil Council, 1,290 people are currently on their housing register. But after revealing the bleak reality of Taff Street and Crescent Street now, Mr Ashton discovered evidence of the street's happy past.
During his exploration, Mr Ashton discovered photographs of generations
