A town in Derbyshire is being evacuated due to parts of a wall of a nearby reservoir have collapsed in the floods. The Toddbrook Reservoir dam, above Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, was damaged after a spell of heavy rain.
Police have told the town’s 6,500 residents to gather at the local school where they will be evacuated. Police told residents to gather at Chapel High School in the neighbouring town and to take pets and medication with them as they “are not sure how long [it] will take”.
Pic: @fraglast – Twitter
A police spokesperson said: “There is a high probability that there will be significant flooding due to damage caused in recent severe weather.
“People are asked to make alternative arrangements to stay with friends and family. If anyone is not able to do so then they will be accommodated, however, there is limited capacity to do so.
“We understand that there will be some concern around not being able to return home, however, our priority is to ensure people are kept safe and well and are not taking unnecessary risks.
“This is not a decision that has been taken lightly and we appreciate that there is significant impact on this community, however, this is an unprecedented, fast-moving, emergency situation.”
A severe flood warning which means a danger to life has been issued for the river Goyt which is below the reservoir. The Canal and River Trust, which manages the dam, has engineers assessing the damage.
The Dam Wall at Toddbrook Reservoir in Whaley Bridge this morning, looks like Barnes Wallis and @OC617Sqn has had a pop at it. @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/gtnFExZ9Gs
— Frag Last (@fraglast) August 1, 2019
The Environmental Agency fear that the levels of the River Goyt could rise quickly due to the water from the reservoir
The Canal And River Trust said in a statement: “We have a team of engineers on site at the moment assessing the damage and determining what the next steps are.
“We will provide further updates as the picture becomes clearer.”
