Whaley Bridge: Sixth day of evacuation

Summary

Horwich End residents allowed back home
Meeting tomorrow to decide if Whaley Bridge residents can go home
Amount of water drained surpasses 9m
Emergency services continue to drain Toddbrook Reservoir
Chinook drops more aggregate on to dam wall
Twenty people in 16 properties still refusing to evacuate
Some train services set to resume

Live Reporting

Samantha Fisher and Duncan Leatherdale

Whaley Bridge challenge 'up there' for military bosspublished at 13:26 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Press Association
Wing Commander Gary Lane said about 100 military personnel had been drafted in to help with the dam operation.
Image source, RAF
Asked where the challenge of the Whaley Bridge dam ranked in his career, he said: "It's up there. You've got 1,500 people who have been evacuated.
"I was driving down here for an hour on Thursday night and there was a frog in my throat the whole way because you don't know what you're coming into.
"I don't think it would get much more challenging than this."
Lifeboat teams heading back to basepublished at 13:10 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
Lifeboat crews which have been working as part of a multi-agency effort at Whaley Bridge are heading back to base.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post
Team mans road closures as RAF Chinook reloadspublished at 12:49 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Sonia Kataria
BBC News
West Midlands 4x4 Response are today manning road closures in Whaley Bridge to enable the RAF Chinook to land and pick up aggregate to drop into the Toddbrook Reservoir dam.
The team of volunteers help provide transportation in adverse weather conditions.
Image source, WM 4x4 Response
Image source, WM 4x4 Response
Image source, WM 4x4 Response
Engineers to inspect safety of dampublished at 12:35 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Amy Woodfield
BBC News
Engineers are due to inspect the safety of the dam now water levels at Toddbrook Reservoir have fallen below eight metres.
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said pontoons are being used to float the pumps so that pumping can continue as the water level recedes.
Pumping will continue until engineers and specialists deem the dam safe.
Deputy chief fire officer Gavin Tomlinson said: "We hope to have the water at a safe level late this morning or by lunchtime, to allow specialist engineers to inspect the dam and feedback about its safety.
"This inspection will have to take place before any decision regarding the return of residents can take place."
Reservoir level target reachedpublished at 12:24 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
The amount of water drained from the Toddbrook Reservoir has passed a target set by emergency crews, the Canal and River Trust has said.
In a statement, the trust said: "Pumping continued throughout the night and the reservoir is currently at 25% of its holding capacity with the water level down by 8.4m.
"The water has been pumped out at a controlled rate and good progress is being made."
The trust's original target was eight metres below the normal level.
Image source, PA Media
Chinook drops 39 tonnes of aggregatepublished at 11:45 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Duncan Leatherdale
BBC News Online
The RAF believe they could be finished shoring up the dam with aggregate by this afternoon.
Wing Commander Gary Lane, RAF Regional Liaison Officer for the North West, says a Chinook helicopter has dropped 39 tonnes of aggregate this morning.
Mr Lane says they could be done by mid-afternoon.
He has praised the community for their support and said his crew had been treated to drinks and homemade cakes.
Fire crews working to reduce water levelspublished at 11:42 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service have just shared these pictures of crews working to drain the Toddbrook Reservoir.
Image source, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
Image source, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
'It's a true reflection of community spirit in High Peak'published at 11:41 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
A Whaley Bridge resident who has been staying at Buxton's Palace Hotel has praised the "wonderful" staff during her stay.
Charlotte Stonier has been staying at the hotel with her dog Coco.
She said: "It had the potential to be extremely unsettling and very frightening for a lot of people but it's actually been quite a smooth transition.
"It's wonderful in many ways because of how accommodating people have been.
"Having a little dog, coming here and being completely out of routine is quote unusual but it is quite exciting in other ways.
"The Palace Hotel and the staff have been wonderful and it's a true reflection of community spirit in High Peak."
Volunteers feed workers through the nightpublished at 11:19 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Amy Woodfield
BBC News
A woman has thanked emergency services after joining a team of volunteers to feed staff working to shore up the partially collapsed dam wall at Toddbrook Reservoir.
Tina Firth said she is "one of the lucky ones" because she hasn't been evacuated from her home.
Her workplace, however, is in the exclusion area, so cooking up sausages and bacon using an oven and gas burner has kept her occupied.
Image source, AFP/Getty Images
She said she wanted to help as a way of thanking the workers who have "saved our village".
"Although it's been very stressful, we've enjoyed what we've been doing, it's been fun," she added.
Whaley Bridge: Water level target 'reached'published at 10:57 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Heidi Booth
Journalist, BBC Radio Derby
Emergency services draining water from the reservoir have reached their target, firefighters on the ground have told me.
The Canal and River Trust previously said it needed to drop water levels by eight metres (26ft).
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said pumps on one side of the reservoir are due to be taken out today.
Whaley Bridge: Met Office issue yellow warning for rainpublished at 10:40 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
A yellow rain warning has been issued by the Met Office for Whaley Bridge later this week.
Heavy rain is expected from 04:00 until 10:00 on Friday, followed by lighter rain - predicted until 19:00 on Saturday.
Image source, Met Office
Artist raises money for emergency services with paintingpublished at 10:38 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Sandish Shoker
BBC News
A Whaley Bridge artist who created a painting to say thank you to emergency services says the requests she's had for prints has been "incredible".
Ellie Kerr is away from her home town studying in Manchester and said she created the painting because she wanted to do something to help.
The 21-year-old is now pledging to donate money from each print she sells to the Buxton Mountain Rescue Team, the RAF and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Image source, Ellie Kerr / Art Is Mental
"I honestly didn't expect them to be so popular but I'm just happy to do something to help," she said.
Miss Kerr's painting is among several pieces of artwork that have cropped up amid the Whaley Bridge crisis.
Thank you placards have also gone up around the town from people showing gratitude to emergency services.
'Unsung heroes'published at 10:05 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Amy Woodfield
BBC News
It looks like volunteers in Whaley Bridge have made the night shift much more bearable for police officers.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post
Firefighter had 'real fear' of dam collapsepublished at 09:57 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
BBC Hereford and Worcester
A firefighter from the West Midlands has said the situation in Whaley Bridge is one of the most serious national incidents he's ever been called to.
Stuart Crebbin is a group commander for the Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and has been helping with the effort to pump water from Toddbrook Reservoir.
Image source, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service
He said: "We did respond as an emergency from Hereford and Worcester to Derbyshire and we were sent straight to the incident to set up.
"There was a real fear at the time that the dam could collapse - that fear existed for a long time and hasn't entirely gone away just yet.
"The weather's holding off, which was a huge risk for us, and the reservoir level is dropping significantly and the reinforcement operation is going very well on the dam itself.
"I am aware of the command team being in discussions with the local community and there is talk about when the community might be allowed back in their homes."
About 200 more bags to be dropped todaypublished at 09:51 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Heidi Booth
Journalist, BBC Radio Derby
More bags of aggregate have already been dropped onto the spillway by the Chinook.
About 200 bags are expected to be added to the pile today.
Watch: Chinook delivers first payload of the daypublished at 09:32 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Heidi Booth
Journalist, BBC Radio Derby
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post
Chinook back at Whaley Bridgepublished at 09:19 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
An RAF Chinook helicopter, flown by RAF Odiham's 18 Squadron, has landed at Whaley Bridge.
BBC Radio Derby's Heidi Booth spoke to Flight Lieutenant Oliver Bayliss earlier this morning, who said work on the dam is expected to begin shortly.
Photos from top of dampublished at 09:13 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
The BBC Panorama team has been given access to the top of Toddbrook Reservoir.
These photos show up-close the aggregate, structural foam and concrete that has been used to plug the hole.
You can also see a construction worker putting foam under the concrete. This is a temporary fix to stabilise the dam until full repairs can be carried out.
Image source, Panorama
Image source, Panorama
Image source, Panorama
Whaley Bridge was '50% chance of catastrophe'published at 09:09 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
A look inside the operation to save the town of Whaley Bridge with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt.
Read More
Watch: Fire crews continue to pump waterpublished at 09:05 British Summer Time 6 August 2019
Heidi Booth
Journalist, BBC Radio Derby
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post