Whaley Bridge dam still ‘critical’ with evacuees spending second night away

Toddbrook Reservoir is still at risk of collapsing with a ‘substantial threat to life’ if the dam wall falls, police have warned.

Emergency services have now managed to lower the water level at the Derbyshire reservoir by half a metre but the structural integrity of the dam remains critical.

Residents of the neighbouring town of Whaley Bridge will face another night away from the comfort of their homes after being evacuated yesterday.

Police warned residents to avoid the area but said those worried about their pets would be allowed to go home and get them.

Assistant Chief Constable Kem Mehmet of Derbyshire Police said officials had made the ‘difficult’ decision to allow people to return to their homes in a ‘controlled’ way.

‘We will be putting plans in place for residents to return to their home to pick up very vital things they need along with their animal welfare,’ he told a press conference this evening.

‘This is very controlled, I must stress that, because this is still life at risk.’

He added: ‘We would ask residents to continue to heed police advice and stay away from Whaley Bridge.’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in the evacuated village of Chapel-en-le-Frith on Friday evening, to oversee the work of emergency services.

Some properties in Furness Vale and New Mills, outside Whaley Bridge were also evacuated on Thursday evening.

The RAF were brought in this morning to try and slow down the amount of water flowing into the reservoir.

If the dam bursts it would release 1.3 million tonnes of water onto the Derbyshire town and many other villages along the River Goyt.

An RAF Chinook and around 150 firefighters, who have been using high-volume pumps, appear to have partly stabilised the ‘unprecedented, fast-moving, emergency situation’ caused by heavy rain.

Images taken early on Friday show the helicopter dropping one-ton sandbags to bolster the damaged part of the structure.

Police have also closed railway lines in the Whaley Bridge area over the risk of potential flooding.

Toddbrook Reservoir is on the north-west edge of the Peak District National Park and was built in 1831, according to experts, although the Environment Agency record it as being built in 1840-41.

The structure supplies water to the Peak Forest Canal, a waterway running between the town and Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.