Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge orderd to evacuate as dam damaged in heavy rainfall

Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge ordered to evacuate after Toddbook Reservoir dam damaged after heavy rainfall. The area has seen two weeks worth of rain fall on 24 hours.

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It looks well bad and I hope everyone up that way keeps safe and well. If that dam collapses fully it will be an environmental nightmare.

Makes you wonder whether the dam was built by India or something? Yes we've had a lot of rain but a dam should cope with anything nature can throw at it.

Earwegoagain wrote:

Makes you wonder whether the dam was built by India or something? Yes we've had a lot of rain but a dam should cope with anything nature can throw at it.

Edwina Currie lives not too far from the area and she has been talking about the situation on Sky News.

I wonder how how long the residents will be away for, a chap on the  BBC news reckons it will be days, rather than weeks ?.

The weather has been pretty awful up north over the last few days.

Earwegoagain wrote:

Makes you wonder whether the dam was built by India or something? Yes we've had a lot of rain but a dam should cope with anything nature can throw at it.

You do get a teeny weeny bit of wear after 200 years.....how does a town get built below the level of 300 million gallons of water ?.....and how do you get insurance cover for your property without your house being Noah's Ark.

zyph wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Makes you wonder whether the dam was built by India or something? Yes we've had a lot of rain but a dam should cope with anything nature can throw at it.

You do get a teeny weeny bit of wear after 200 years.....how does a town get built below the level of 300 million gallons of water ?.....and how do you get insurance cover for your property without your house being Noah's Ark.

Good point.

zyph wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Makes you wonder whether the dam was built by India or something? Yes we've had a lot of rain but a dam should cope with anything nature can throw at it.

You do get a teeny weeny bit of wear after 200 years.....how does a town get built below the level of 300 million gallons of water ?.....and how do you get insurance cover for your property without your house being Noah's Ark.

In our race to be a third world country and cuts driven by austerity we get situations like Grenfell and now this. Maintenance bills are being cut left right and centre and it will take something like a dam collapsing in the night and drowning hundreds of people to change it. There is absolutely no excuse.