• UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
NewsExplored
  • UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • LinkedIn

  • Tumblr

  • RSS

UK

Whaley Bridge dam crisis: What’s changed one year on?

Whaley Bridge dam crisis: What’s changed one year on?
Newsexplored
1st August 2020
5
SHARES
ShareTweet
SubscribeRedditGoogleWhatsappStumbleuponPinterestDiggLinkedinTumblrTelegram
Views:
2
Toddbrook Reservoir in July 2020Image copyright PA Media
Image caption Sandbags remain in place after being dropped by an RAF helicopter a year ago

It was a shock for 1,500 people in Whaley Bridge last summer when they were abruptly ordered to leave their homes over fears a badly damaged dam could collapse and cause a devastating flood.

It would be nearly a week before they were allowed back to the Derbyshire town and there were jubilant scenes as they returned.

Now 12 months have passed – and amid another major crisis with the coronavirus pandemic – how are residents feeling?

What happened?

On the afternoon of Thursday 1 August 2019, about 1,500 people were instructed to leave their homes in Whaley Bridge immediately and find alternative accommodation.

Heavy rain had caused a large section of the dam’s spillway at Toddbrook Reservoir to fall away and there were fears the whole structure could collapse, leading to a huge flood with the potential to wipe out much of the town.

Image copyright Twitter
Image caption This understated council tweet on the morning of the evacuation gave no hint of the drama to follow

Many expected the evacuation to last a few hours or just one night – but in fact it was not until the following Wednesday they were given the green light to return.

During that time, emergency crews worked relentlessly to pump huge amounts of water from the reservoir to bring levels down while an RAF Chinook helicopter dropped sandbags and aggregate into the compromised spillway to reinforce it.

Is the dam fixed now?

Temporary repairs to the dam have almost been completed. The Canal and River Trust, which owns the dam, said it was now “secure against any extreme weather event”.

Footpaths around the reservoir are due to reopen this month and a permanent repair project has been slated to start next spring, with a scheduled 2023 completion date.

Image copyright PA Media
Image caption Excess rainwater is still pumped from the reservoir to keep levels low

In March, an independent review carried out on behalf the government found the emergency was caused by poor design and a lack of maintenance.

Any excess rainwater falling in the reservoir has continued to be removed by pumps and it will remain drained until all repair work has concluded.

data-ad-format="auto">

How do locals feel when they look back?

There were joyous scenes as residents returned – but did the good feeling continue?

“The first few days of being home were a mixture of emotions,” said Whaley Bridge resident Kelly Baker.

“On the one hand there was total relief we had a home to come back to and pure joy at seeing friends and neighbours.

“But on the other hand there was a lot of anxiety about the river bursting its banks again.


“Even now, 12 months later, I still get a little anxious when we have heavy rain.”

Image copyright Kelly Baker
Image caption Kelly Baker said the evacuation was a much scarier situation than the pandemic

Gill Barras, who also lives in the town, does not feel as nervous.

“It will be the safest dam in Britain,” she said.

“The village could have gone – the whole world knew about it. So obviously they’re going to make it really strong.

“I have no doubts whatsoever. It’s all the other dams they need to worry about.”

Image caption Gill Barras said she was given 10 minutes to leave her home on 1 August

Some residents even look back on the evacuation with some fondness.

Ian Kidd said: “I think everyone contributed in one way or another – whether it was the two ladies making tea and coffee [for evacuated residents] or the people who came in and started doing hot meals.

“So although we had this impending disaster, it was a really nice time to be a member of this community.”

Have local businesses recovered?

Image caption Fred Salmon said he felt safe and confident a year later

The crisis came as a shock to the system to Fred Salmon, who runs Whaley Bridge cycling shop The Bike Factory.

“It almost wiped us out completely,” he said.

“It showed how vulnerable we were at the time. We’d got a great little business going with repairs and a workshop but the online store was only a small part of it.

“We changed everything and fully committed to developing our online store and we seem to be motoring ahead now.”

Did house prices go down?

Image copyright PA Media
Image caption The RAF Chinook spent several days dropping sandbags to shore up the damaged dam

You might have thought the frightening situation would put prospective buyers off moving to the area but estate agent Lorraine Batty said it actually gave the town a boost.

“It put us on the world map. Everybody knew about Whaley Bridge,” she said.

“After about a month when things had settled down a little bit with the dam, we did more sales in the latter part of the year than we’ve ever done previously.

“And property prices were increasing slightly as well – probably between five and 10%.

“I’d been extremely concerned how people would perceive the market very close to the dam but we saw the absolute opposite and yes, it surprised me.

“I just think it’s a beautiful place in the world to be.”

Do the emergency services feel proud?

Image copyright PA Media
Image caption The prime minister visited the scene the day after the evacuation took place

The emergency response involved police, councils, the military and about 1,000 firefighters who helped to pump millions of gallons of water from the reservoir.

Gavin Tomlinson, Derbyshire’s chief fire officer, said: “You can look back now with a sense of pride having achieved what we set out to achieve but at the time it was touch-and-go whether the dam would collapse or not.

“All the time we had to have another plan. We had to have other crews that nobody actually ever saw that were stood by at two other locations below the dam in case it did burst.

“I’m very proud of everyone involved.”

How does the evacuation compare to the pandemic?

Image caption After returning to their properties, residents were given advice on future evacuations

Resident Kelly Baker did not believe there was any comparison between the dam evacuation and the ongoing coronavirus situation.

“Last year we didn’t know if we would have a home to come back to,” she said.

“This year home is where we have kept our children safe.

“Yes, it’s been disruptive in the sense that both girls had their birthday parties cancelled, my oldest daughter didn’t get to finish her first year of high school and my youngest daughter hasn’t been able to go and see her school or meet her teachers before she starts reception in September.

“But there’s nothing we can do about it – and the plus side of the Covid crisis is the time we as a family have spent together and the memories made along the way.”

Image caption Normal life has returned to Whaley Bridge

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Related Itemsbridgechangedcrisiswhaley
UK
1st August 2020
Newsexplored @newsexploredweb

Related Itemsbridgechangedcrisiswhaley

More in UK

  • Read More
    The Papers: Quarantine hotels plan and holidays ‘under threat’

    Views:2 By BBC NewsStaff image captionSeveral of the front pages look ahead to potential new travel restrictions,...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    Extra £50m pledged for virus-hit grassroots sport

    Views:2 Grassroots clubs have stated that many could go out of business due to the pandemic An...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    Hercule Van Wolfwinkle: Worthing pet artist raises £50k for homeless

    Views:2 image copyrightHERCULE VAN WOLFWINKLE image captionA fake pet profile for this dog says: “Timothy likes skidding...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    Frank Lampard: Chelsea sack manager with Thomas Tuchel expected to replace him

    Views:2 Frank Lampard won 28 of his 57 Premier League games in charge of Chelsea Chelsea have...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    Scotland’s papers: New Covid strain in Scotland and ‘save Union’ plan

    Views:2 image captionThe Herald says Scotland has identified at least three cases of the South African coronavirus...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    The Papers: Schools out ’till Easter’ for ‘lost generation’ kids

    Views:2 By BBC NewsStaff image captionIt’s looking more likely that parents in England “will have many more...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    Snow in the UK: Wintry weather in pictures

    Views:2 image copyrightPA Wire image captionPeople tumbled into action to make the most of the rare snowfall...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    Covid: Four vaccine centres shut amid snow alert for Wales

    Views:2 Published 17 minutes ago Related Topics image copyrightTraffic Wales image captionSnow on the M4 Junction 24...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    The Papers: Vaccinated told to follow rules and PM’s jab ‘gamble’

    Views:2 By BBC NewsStaff image captionThose who have had the Covid-19 vaccine must stick to lockdown rules...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    Cheltenham Town 1-3 Man City: Six-time winners avoid FA Cup shock

    Views:2 Cheltenham Town came within nine minutes of one of the biggest shocks in recent FA Cup...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    Covid vaccine: Can Wales meet its targets?

    Views:2 By Steve Duffy & Gwyndaf HughesBBC news It is hoped 70% of the over-80s in Wales...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
  • Read More
    The Papers: UK ‘feeling the strain’ but gets vaccine ‘boost’

    Views:2 By BBC NewsStaff image captionThe Financial Times is just one of Saturday’s papers that leads with...

    Newsexplored 1st August 2020
Scroll for more
Tap
data-ad-format="auto">
NewsExplored

NewsExplored - Making sure all the latest news is explored?

Contact us for help

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • Australian Open: Heather Watson among 47 players to quarantine in Melbourne after Covid cases on flights
    Sports16th January 2021
  • The Papers: ‘Fortress Britain’ and ‘modern miracle workers’
    UK15th January 2021
  • Fifa 21 and Frozen 2 top digital sales of 2020
    Tech8th January 2021
  • Fashion lookahead: Eight major 2021 looks from tie-dye to pastels
    Entertainment30th December 2020
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-26 Green Bay Packers; Buffalo Bills 24-38 Kansas City Chiefs
    USA25th January 2021
  • The homeless drug addict who became a history professor
    USA24th January 2021
  • Kamala Harris: What the vice-president did on her first day
    USA21st January 2021
  • Biden inauguration: New president to be sworn in amid Trump snub
    USA20th January 2021
  • Les Rehrer says:

    Hello Its me :P and thanks for this post

  • optumrx login says:

    Thank For News.

  • Kent Laatsch says:

    Please let me know if you're looking for a writer…

  • Bob says:

    RT News was where I learned that Erdogan controlled isis.…

Copyright © 2018 Top News Theme. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by Wordpress.

Black Lives Matter: ‘Backlash has been divisive like Brexit’
Leicester Muslims mark second Eid of extended lockdown
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok