Boris Johnson visits damaged Derbyshire dam as storms expected
Work to repair a damaged dam in Derbyshire and prevent it bursting has entered its third day as the Met Office warns of thunderstorms and possible flooding.
Despite work being carried out to reduce the water level, the risk of collapse is still at a “critical level”, and there is a yellow weather warning in place for the area on Sunday.
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On Friday Boris Johnson visited the teams attempting to fix the damaged reservoir that is threatening to flood the town of Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire.
The Prime Minister flew over the dam and said it looked “dodgy but stable”.
Around 1,500 residents have been evacuated from the area in case the dam breaks and releases the 300-million-gallon Toddbrook Reservoir.
On Thursday part of the reservoir’s spillway broke away following the heavy rain seen earlier in the week and rescue teams have been trying to shore it up since.
The owners of the dam, the Canal and River Trust, as well as the police, have said there is a “real risk” it could collapse and flood the town.
Speaking to the local residents at nearby Chapel-en-le-Frith High School, Johnson said: “I flew over the dam and it looks pretty scary. I can see the problem.”
Johnson went on to describe it as looking “dodgy but stable” but told residents they would be “properly housed” if the dam burst.
The Prime Minister spent about 45 minutes at the school talking to police and groups of residents, telling one group: “The plan is to try and stop the dam breaking, clearly, so a huge amount of effort is going into that.
“The Chinook’s been over putting in the aggregate and putting in the sandbags to try and stop it bursting. They’re pumping out huge amounts of water.
“They’ve got a long way to go. Whatever we do, we’ll make sure we rebuild it.”
On Saturday, environment minister Therese Coffey said agencies were facing issues reducing the water levels.
“We are looking at new solutions to maximise the pumps we can use,” she said.
“Around much of the reservoir the ground is so sodden pumps could sink into the soil, but we have to get the water levels down so the dam can be inspected properly.”
It’s also unclear when residents will be able to return to their home, with police warning they could be gone for days.
“There are concerns about animal welfare. We will be putting plans in place for residents to return to their addresses for a very short time, in a very controlled manner, to collect belongings,” Derbyshire police assistant chief constable Kem Mehmet said.
“We will be restricting it to one person per household. The plans are being worked through at the minute and the residents will be informed when it’s in place.”
In the event the dam falls, emergency service vehicles will sound their horns three times as a warning for residents to get to higher ground.
Firefighters have been fighting to pump water out of the resorvoir but it needs to come several more metres before being considered safe, with rain likely on Sunday.
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An RAF Chinook helicopter has put 400 tonnes of sandbags on the affected part of the dam to shore it up in a temporary fix.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in the area starting on Sunday afternoon and continuing into the evening.