Whaley Bridge: Residents forced to evacuate town hope to find out when they can go home

Residents of Whaley Bridge, which was evacuated after heavy rainfall, hope to find out today when they can move back home.

Authorities are hopeful inspections can take place at Toddbrook Reservoir in Derbyshire on Tuesday, with a public meeting called for 5pm.

However the Manchester Evening News reports there could be a setback, after the repair work settled overnight.

More than 1,500 people have had to leave their homes since Thursday after heavy rain, though a small number refused to go, despite fears the dam would burst.

About 20 people remained in 16 homes in the evacuation zone on Monday after warnings they were “taking their lives into their own hands” and jeopardising the safety of the emergency services.

Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Swann said: “We will repeatedly visit these people to remind them of the risks they are posing to themselves and emergency responders, however there is no specific legislation under which we can force these people to leave.”

Specialist engineers have monitored the dam wall 24 hours a day with lasers and are reassured by their assessment, with a seven-day estimate for how long people would be out of their homes a “worst-case scenario”.

On Monday, Colin Winterbottom, station manager at Derbyshire fire and rescue service said about “30-40%” of the water at the reservoir had been removed over the past five days, adding another day of work would “probably see the dam down to a safe level”.

Derbyshire Police said the water level had been reduced by six metres, while the dam wall has been packed with 530 tonnes of aggregate, which is being cemented into place to reinforce the spillway.

The force said: “Once a level has been reached – and is able to be maintained – engineers will view the damage to the wall and a decision will be made regarding when it is safe for evacuated residents and businesses to return to Whaley Bridge.”

The MEN reported the water levels have dropped by eight metres.

An RAF Chinook helicopter is expected to be used again to move sandbags in a bid to maximise the dam’s integrity, while the Environment Agency is monitoring the flow of water into the River Goyt.

Residents will hope tonight’s meeting in Chapel-en-le-Frith will give them more information on when they can go back to their homes.

At least one homeowner told police he had been burgled during the time away from home, with officers using a drone to provide 24 hour coverage monitoring people’s homes.

A missing pets organisation has captured, fed and reunited “hundreds” of animals with their owners after they were forced to leave their homes.

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Animal Search UK said they travelled to the Derbyshire town over the weekend and rescued pets who had been left behind.

They said: “During this weekend there was a serious risk to life for residents in the Whaley Bridge area, but their pets had been left behind in the rush to evacuate.

“One of our specialist teams arrived, and on Saturday morning they began numerous trips into the ‘danger zone’ behind police cordons to capture, feed and rescue abandoned pets.”

The teams went into the town in 15 minute missions.

They said one pet rescued was Joey the cockatiel, who managed to escape during the 15 minute window his owners had to return home on Saturday.

(c) Sky News 2019: Whaley Bridge: Residents forced to evacuate town hope to find out when they can go home