The scaffolding had been erected along the boundary of a football pitch in Ynyshir near Porth in the south Wales valleys.

It was a temporary measure to stop balls from landing on the carriageway of the new Porth Relief Road.

No one was injured as a result of the collapse. The Health and Safety Executive had been informed.

A spokesman for Costain, the company working on the construction of the relief road said the firm were "not happy" the scaffolding had collapsed.

"We are looking at that and the fact it collapsed has caused us concern," he said.

The spokesman said the scaffolding was acting as a fence, and was not designed for people to work on.

He added: "We have informed health and safety.

"Something has gone wrong and we are going to learn from this."