Whaley Bridge dam: More homes evacuated as storm threat looms

Whaley Bridge dam: More homes evacuated as storm threat looms




Media captionWater is being pumped away from the reservoir and sandbags are still being dropped

Heavy rain is likely to hamper efforts to fix a damaged dam at risk of bursting and flooding a town.
Work to lower Toddbrook Reservoir's water level by pumping continued overnight at Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire.
A further 55 homes have been evacuated as concerns grow that nearby Marple, in Stockport is also at risk of flooding.
And now Derbyshire Police have warned residents that because of the expected bad weather officers will "stop allowing them back to their homes".

Image captionDerbyshire Deputy Chief Fire Officer Gavin Tomlinson said crews were focused on reducing reservoir levels

More than a third of the reservoir's water has been been pumped out since Thursday, but forecasters say 30-40mm (1.2-1.6in) of rain may fall in two hours, later.
People were allowed briefly into their homes to collect pets and essentials, but were warned they would be doing so at their own risk.
The controlled operation allowed one resident per household back into their homes for 15 minutes.
Some 1,500 people in Whaley Bridge had already sought shelter elsewhere after part of the reservoir's spillway broke away.
Father Jamie Mcleod, who lives in the town, said he had hardly slept for three days taking supplies to the emergency workers.

'Started to crack'

But he was also there at the start of the crisis, when he went to check the dam on Thursday after days of rain.
"When I was over there it started to crack," he said. "When it got worse I went over to the council and raised the alarm and said 'We have to evacuate the village'.
"We then went back to the reservoir and of course the police then came and procedures were put in place.
"At the time I really thought the village was going to go.
"Then it really struck me there is a school at the bottom of the dam and last week that playground was full."
Police said the "risk of adverse weather" was to blame for the most recent evacuations, as well as the continuing risk of the reservoir breaching.
Officers have also taken the decision to stop residents going back to their homes for belongings as "our first duty is to protect the lives of the public and emergency services".
The army and police officers have also visited residents in Marple, issuing flooding advice.
Emergency responders are planning and preparing for a "potential incident" but were not yet evacuating that area.
Derbyshire Deputy Chief Fire Officer Gavin Tomlinson said teams at Whaley Bridge had made good progress overnight.
"We now know we have taken around 35% of the contents of reservoir out now and we are aiming to get it down about 25% where we think it is at a safe level," he said.
"So throughout the night what we have done is concentrated our efforts on making sure all the pumps run to full capacity.
"That means as the water level drops - the reservoir doesn't have straight sides it, comes in [with sloping sides], so we have to keep relocating the pumps further and further in."

'Not out of the woods'

The Canal and River Trust estimated on Saturday that 105,000 cubic metres (23 million gallons) of water had been pumped out in 12 hours.
An RAF Chinook helicopter put 400 tonnes of sandbags on the affected part of the dam on Friday - adding a further 70 on Saturday.
Daniel Greenhalgh, from the trust, which owns the reservoir and dam, warned: "We are not out of the woods yet.
"The last estimate was that residents could be out of their homes for seven days yet."

Image captionEmergency services and volunteers have been working around the clock

Police, the Environment Agency, and the Canal and River Trust have all said there is a "real risk" the 188-year-old dam could collapse and flood the town.

Image captionEvacuated residents were given 15 minutes to gather belongings from their homes on Saturday morning

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for much of northern England and the Midlands, including the area around the reservoir.
The Canal and River Trust has defended the maintenance and safety of the structure, which was built in 1831.
Mr Greenhalgh said: "This dam was inspected regularly, by us and an independent engineer.
"It needs to be remembered there was a huge amount of rain in a short time and this flooded the area."