Historic vehicle and shipping registers providing a unique insight into the county’s past have been made available for public viewing.

The documents form part of a collection previously stored at Carmarthenshire Archives, which has been under enforced closure for more than 12 months following the discovery of mould in one of the facility’s storage “strong” rooms.

Documents now being made available form series one and two of the collection with series three expected to follow shortly after a deal was struck to see them stored temporarily at Glamorgan Archives until a suitable permanent location is found following the closure of the facility at Parc Myrddin in Carmarthen.

Lists of the available material including Motor Vehicle Licensing Records and Shipping Registers can be accessed by contacting Glamorgan Archives and electronic access via the website will be available soon.

The lists will be updated as the cleaned collection becomes available.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s executive board member, Councillor Meryl Gravell said: “We’re delighted to be working with Glamorgan Archives who have agreed to temporarily store the material and make it available for public access while an alternative location is identified now that Parc Myrddin is no longer suitable.”

Carmarthenshire has come under fire in recent months regarding the preservation of its historic documents after it was revealed that the National Archive Inspectorate had expressed concern over the suitability of the former school at Parc Myrddin as a secure storage facility as early as 2011.

In the spring of 2014 the mould outbreak was identified on documents in one of the strong rooms, leading to it being sealed while investigations were carried out in the remaining store rooms and in a bid t halt further contamination.

In the summer of 2014 the entire building was sealed and much of its archives removed for safe story while the decontamination and modernisation of the building was considered.

The building is now deemed not fit for purpose and its archives have remained inaccessible since June 2014.

Earlier this summer, the Friends of the Carmarthenshire Archives contacted councillors to underline the authority’s statutory obligations in relation to preserving and managing its archives and to highlight concern that for the first time in more than half a century access to the county’s “irreplaceable unique original documents dating from the medieval period to the present” were unavailable for public examination and research.

Anyone wishing to view the newly made public material in person can email glamro@cardiff.gov.uk or call 029 2087 2200. The Glamorgan Archives website is at glamarchives.gov.uk