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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/0 ... erbyshire/2 aug. 2019
A Royal Air Force Chinook has been drafted into a Derbyshire town
in efforts to stop a reservoir collapsing
after it was "badly" damaged during heavy rain.
Live |
Whaley Bridge: Handful of residents refusing to leave
as RAF called in to help efforts to stop dam bursting - latest news
More than 1000 people evacuated from Whaley Bridge
Community could be levelled if Toddbrook Resevoir barrier bursts
Around 400 tonnes of aggregate brought in overnight to divert water
RAF helicopter called in to aid effort
Police say future of dam 'remains in balance'
A handful of people are refusing to leave their homes in the Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge after an evacuation amid fears a dam could collapse.
More than 1000 people have been evacuated after concrete panels on one side of the dam on the Toddbrook Reservoir, which holds back 300 million gallons of water, partially collapsed after heavy rain.
Engineers yesterday pumped 200mm of water out of the reservoir and an RAF helicopter has been brought in to help repair the front face of the dam.
On Friday morning Derbyshire Police confirmed that a "very small number" of people were refusing to leave their homes.
Julie Sharman, chief operating officer of the Canal and River Trust which runs the reservoir,
said efforts were ongoing to protect the structure and reduce the amount of water being held back by the dam.
"The operation loading the front face of the dam using the Chinook helicopter
is in process and is going to go on for most of the day," she told BBC Radio 4's Today.
"The primary task at the moment is to load the front face of the dam
to secure the structure, in parallel with lowering the water."
There are concerns the village could be levelled if the dam,
which dates to 1838, gives way.
Residents have believed to have been told
there is a 50/50 chance that the dam could burst.
Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Swann, chairwoman of the Local Resilience Forum, said:
"To move the substantial amount of aggregate into place -
a Chinook helicopter will be operating in the area in the coming hours
to allow precise placement and divert the flow of the water.
"With all that said, at this time the future of the dam wall remains in the balance
and I would remind people of the very real danger posed to them should the wall collapse."