Richard Stead
BBC Radio Manchester reporter

Whaley Bridge was deserted last night. The village was silent – apart from the occasional sound of police sirens and a helicopter flying overhead.

The atmosphere was tense among the residents who’d been evacuated and those who’d remained just outside the exclusion zone.

In the valley below, the River Goyt was flowing rapidly after the torrential rain of the previous 24 hours.

If the valley floods, hundreds of homes downstream could be affected – in places like Furness Vale and New Mills.

Image source, PA Media

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

Derbyshire Police say "a small number" of residents within the evacuation zone have refused to leave their homes.

A spokeswoman added: "They have been strongly advised by officers to leave their properties."

Image source, PA Media

Assistant chief constable Kem Mehmet said it was important people in the area left their homes, not only for their own safety, but for the safety of officers too.

Speaking to Radio Manchester, he urged people not to return to their homes until advised that it was safe.

"It is still a risk and we are still advising people to stay away," he said. "It is not safe."

Richard Thoday rode from Land's End to John O' Groats on a penny farthing.

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

Rescue teams are getting ready for their second day of work at Whaley Bridge.

Buxton Mountain Rescue said they had been assisting local residents, volunteers and other emergency services.

"On behalf of all of the emergency services, we’d like to thank the massive support from the local community in these testing times," they said.

They have also thanked the Soldier Dick pub in nearby Furness Vale which put on free food and drinks for rescue workers and emergency services last night.

Image source, PA Media

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

As well as roads through Whaley Bridge being shut, there are more closures in other areas such as New Mills close to the River Goyt:

• Buxton Road (A5004)
• Macclesfield Road (B5470)
• Whaley Lane
• Reservoir Road

Image source, Google

An RAF helicopter has been brought in to help repair a damaged reservoir which threatens to flood a town.

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

The person behind a Whaley Bridge Facebook page , externalspent the night at a sailing club, which has been used as a headquarters for emergency services.

Barry Rudd watched as two eight-inch water pumps and four six-inch ones were used to take water out of the reservoir.

He wrote: "What a day. Well done to all those that turned up to volunteer.

"HQ has now moved to higher ground and in true British style there was a minor crisis in that we ran out [of] milk for the copious amounts of tea that hundreds of crew get though."

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

Firefighters from across the country have been called in to assist with pumping out water and laying down sandbags.

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

Just to give you an idea of how much water engineers and emergency services are dealing with, Lee Rawlinson from the Environment Agency said the reservoir contained 1.2 million tonnes of water - that's the equivalent of 450 Olympic swimming pools.

"We have issued a severe flood warning because we don't know the state of the dam," he said. "And if there was a catastrophic failure, that volume running through a town like Whaley Bridge would have a devastating impact."

Image source, PA Media

BBC Weather

Today should remain largely dry for most places - including Whaley Bridge - though a few showers may still develop in the afternoon.

Press Association

Yesterday, Whaley Bridge resident Ash Cox said police officers told him evacuation was "mandatory" and that people could be arrested if they chose not to leave.

"We were told by the police officer leaving was mandatory... and if we don't leave, he would have to make arrests," according to the Press Association.

"That would be very sad to do so we decided to follow procedure and leave even though we are well above the danger zone in our eyes."

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

If you're joining us again this morning, here's the latest:

• An RAF helicopter has been brought in to drop 400 tonnes of aggregate into the reservoir in a bid to stop more water from entering.
• Engineers have worked through the night to pump water out of the reservoir and reduce the water levels.
• The evacuation area has been expanded to include New Mills and Furness Vale.
• Some residents who have left their homes were moved from the High School last night to a hotel in Buxton.

Our colleagues at BBC Radio Manchester will be staying with this story throughout the night - you can listen here.

Sonia Kataria
BBC News

• Damage appeared in the wall of Toddbrook Reservoir dam, which holds 300 million gallons of water, this morning following heavy rain.
• In the afternoon, the town's 6,500 people were told to evacuate to a school in neighbouring Chapel-en-le-Frith.
• Engineers and emergency services are working through the night to reduce the water level and shore up the damaged dam.
• A Chinook helicopter will be used to drop aggregate and control the flow of water.
• About 20 roads in the town and nearby areas are closed.
• More heavy rain could fall overnight.

Sonia Kataria
BBC News

All seven of the Peak District's mountain rescue teams were deployed to the emergency at Toddbrook reservoir.

The Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation (PDMRO) said: "The volunteer teams helped emergency services by supporting the evacuation of residents and providing manpower at the scene itself."

Image source, PA Media

Police tell Whaley Bridge's 6,500 residents to gather at a school amid fears a reservoir could burst.

Derbyshire Police say a Chinook helicopter will be used to allow "precise placement of the aggregate and divert the flow of the water".

Ten specialist high-volume pumping appliances, along with specially-trained fire and rescue flood advisors, have also been brought to Whaley Bridge.

Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Swann added: “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."

Here's an update on how emergency services plan to tackle the situation at the dam.

According to Derbyshire Police, they will:

• Use 400 tonnes of aggregate to divert water from entering the reservoir and into other surrounding watercourses designed for this purpose.
• Use water pumps to remove water from the reservoir to relieve pressure on the dam wall.
• Once the above measures reduce the water to a level that is safe – work will then begin on the dam wall itself.