Victoria Derbyshire

Melissa Welliver lives above the dam in Whaley Bridge and is out of the potential flood zone.

As she's allowed to stay at home she's focused on helping others and keeping out of the way of emergency services.

She said: "We took down some water yesterday when the Facebook page said that some volunteers needed more refreshments.

"We've been keeping up to date with our friends who might need a place to stay.

"The emergency services have it really well covered so we're staying out of the way."

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

Eric Baker has lived in the town for 30 years and has not evacuated as he is on higher ground.

"it’s like living next to a ticking bomb. If that goes the devastation will be unimaginable," he said.

“We saw the water coming over at a tremendous rate on Wednesday and the park was flooded but it wasn’t until Thursday people who look after it started to look worried.

“Then it started to collapse on Thursday and it made a tremendous noise.

“The disruption is huge, the small shops and businesses are really being hit and of course we don’t know when it will be over.”

Victoria Derbyshire

Sharon Withington is one of the luckier residents of Whaley Bridge who lives just beyond the evacuation point.

Despite being allowed to stay at home, she chose to spent last night elsewhere in case the worst did happen.

Now back at home, she said: "Down the road from me there's no-one here. There's a really eerie silence about the place, the only thing you can hear is the Chinook helicopter.

"It's a really strange feeling. My intention is to stay unless I'm told otherwise."

BBC Radio Manchester

Police have asked the people evacuated from Whaley Bridge to stay with friends and family - that's exactly what is happening at this household in Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Bev Goodwin has put up her mum Joy, dad Steve and two friends – Susie and Angela.

Joy said: “We have nothing. No clothes, no toothbrush, nothing.

“We have been thinking about what’s in our house that we would miss – all our kids' pictures and of our grandchildren – it’s upsetting.”

Susie said: “It’s just surreal that it’s happening in our town, it’s just bizarre.”

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Resident Mike Breslin has called the evacuation a "crazy situation".

"They never should never have built a school and a social club at the bottom of a dam. It’s madness," he said.

“The response from police has been okay, though a bit over the top at times - things like insisting on escorting people 100m.

“But they’ve done what they’ve had to do, closing roads and dealing with angry lorry drivers yesterday who were asking for directions when they couldn’t get through.”

Richard Baxter took these photos from his garden showing bags of stones filling up the hole in the dam.

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

There is no sense of panic in the town.

I've seen a few dog walkers but you can hear the RAF Chinook in the distance helping to avert a potentially fatal disaster.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

People and businesses from across the country are offering help to those who have been forced to leave their homes in Whaley Bridge.

Image source, Facebook

Image source, Facebook

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

A specialist in dam and hydro-power engineering has said the next two days are "critical" for the Whaley Bridge dam.

Alan Warren said it will take days or weeks to make it "completely safe" and residents could face spending "many days" away from their homes.

Image source, Matt Forrest

He said: "All of our dams are designed and certified to withstand highly extreme rainfall events. The problem here is not that the dam has 'over-topped' the crest.

"The problem is that the water that has passed over this spillway has caused damage to the concrete structure itself so it is a specific problem for this dam."

Mr Warren said there will have to be an investigation to see if lessons can be learnt.

RAF helicopters are flying 400 tonnes of stone to protect the dam from bursting.

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

Tim and Julie (and their dog Mr Blue) have moved from their home into their camper van and spent the night in the car park at the Chapel-en-le-Frith evacuation centre.

"There is not a lot we can do, it's just life really, that's the way it goes," said Tim.

"It is quite comfortable here, it's just like camping at the moment."

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

The Canal and Rivers Trust, which manages Toddbrook Reservoir, said water levels are reducing.

Image source, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

So far they have dropped by about 200mm (eight inches).

Despite this, the trust said it was still a "critical situation".

BBC Radio 4

We have been told around 11 families have refused to leave the area.

An unnamed couple in Whaley Bridge said: “We live in the middle of Whaley. We couldn’t get back in the car so we had to abandon [it] and walk back into Whaley, pack up the other car with the mother-in-law and the pets. We just fled.

"I managed to take my nightdress and we’ve got the tortoise in the washing up bowl in the car. We’ve just been told we can go and stay at the Palace Hotel at Buxton.

"It’s quite terrifying. If the dam goes, it will take out the whole town.”

BBC Radio Manchester

One resident is hoping the worst doesn't happen, as it would be "life-changing".

Joy told the BBC: "Whaley is such a tight-knit community anyway and for us all to be evacuated - you're hoping that everyone has got safe and they're not being silly and staying in their houses.

"If that dam goes, the whole village goes - to be perfectly frank.

"It's life-changing for us. We all work in the village. We all live in the village. It would destroy all our lives."

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

"There is still a risk the dam will fail – please stay away from the area" warns Derbyshire Police.

The force has said work will continue to shore up the reservoir wall throughout the day with the help of "expert structural engineers".

Image source, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service

The Chinook will continue to helping by dropping aggregate into parts of the reservoir to stem the flow of water.

Fire services across the country have provided a total of 16 high volume water pumps to reduce the water levels of the reservoir.

Image source, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service

Assistant Chief Constable Kem Mehmet, said: “We don’t know how long this operation will take to conclude but we and our colleagues in the emergency services, partner agencies, Environment Agency and military are doing everything humanly possible to save the reservoir wall and to protect the town.”

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

Whaley Bridge councillor David Lomax said he went around the town knocking on doors, advising people to get out of their homes yesterday afternoon.

He told Radio Manchester most people were moving out and making arrangements but "one person said he wasn't going to move".

"Hopefully people will heed police advice and leave - after all your life is more important than your property," he said.

Image source, PA Media

"Roads are closed, shops are closed, so even people who think they are in the safe areas will have a long drive to go anywhere to find food."

Mr Lomax said it could be a couple of days before residents could go back into their homes.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

The politician Edwina Currie - who lives near Toddbrook Reservoir - has compared the dam to a hospital patient in intensive care "surrounded by snaking tubes and pumps".

BBC Breakfast

According to Radio Manchester, although 6,500 people live in the wider town of Whaley Bridge, only those in areas "immediately affected" have been asked to leave.

That amounts to about 400 homes and 1,500 people.

The Environment Agency said about 85% of those affected had left their homes by Thursday night.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

There are still "loads of supplies" available for Whaley Bridge evacuees at a school in Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Chapel High School has been used as an evacuation point since yesterday afternoon.

Image source, Charles Lawley

People, businesses and charities have been bringing donations of food and drink for those forced out of their homes.

Image source, Charles Lawley

Parish Councillor Charles Lawley said: "Hopefully there won't be any more evacuations, but no news on when people can return home."

He also expressed relief over the current weather conditions: "Thank the Lord, there are no clouds in the sky".