Whaley Bridge residents allowed back home

By Josh Payne, PA

Residents of evacuated Whaley Bridge have been told it is safe to return to their homes.

Derbyshire Police said stability of the dam wall at Toddbrook Reservoir had been achieved at 1pm on Wednesday.

More than 1,500 people had been evacuated from the Derbyshire town since Thursday following heavy rain, although a small number refused to leave their properties.

Police allowed 55 households in the Horwich End area of the town to return home following a public meeting on Tuesday afternoon after the target water level was reached.

After allowing residents to return home, Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Swann said the danger posed by the dam which would have destroyed homes and livelihoods could not be underestimated''.

She continued to say further work will be done to determine the damage caused to the dam wall and what the future holds for the structure.

Ms Swann said: The hard work and dedication to achieve this has been quite simply incredible and means that I am now able to lift the evacuation order placed on Whaley Bridge and the surrounding area.

At the forefront of our thoughts are the communities affected by this incident who have been steadfast in the face of the peril that lay behind that dam wall.

The danger posed by the millions of tonnes of water, which would have destroyed homes and livelihoods, could not be underestimated.

Over the coming days and weeks further work will be completed to ascertain the damage caused to the dam wall and what actions are required for the future. We must not forget that the dam is broken.

The Environment Agency has confirmed that the measures remaining in place at the dam will be able to manage the levels of rain forecasted, modelling against a number of scenarios.

With this, and confirmation of the effectiveness of the work to repair the damage done and reduce the water coming into the reservoir, I am able to confirm it is safe for people to go back to their homes.''

The Environment Agency said there is still significant'' work to be done to bring the dam to a condition wherelong term safety can be assured''.

Bill Derbyshire from the Environment Agency said: We would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding during this incident.

We have reviewed the Canal and River Trust Management Plan. The Environment Agency believes as long as all provisions are acted on this will give sufficient warning to residents.

The Toddbrook dam requires significant engineering works to bring it to a condition where its long-term safety can be assured. The Environment Agency expect the Canal and River Trust to do the necessary investigations and engineering work to make the dam safe and protect the community.

The Environment Agency will continue to work with partners to ensure the Canal and River Trust is able to maintain the reduction of water and to pump water out of the reservoir.

The multi-agency work means we are in a better position to react to any risks from the dam and any rainfall that may cause local flooding.''

On Thursday morning, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said the reservoir was at around 12-15% capacity after more water was pumped out overnight.

One resident, Karen Edleston, decided to immediately get her hair cut as she entered the town for the first time since Thursday.

Ms Edleston said: Well, I was desperate to get my hair cut because I'm going to a wedding on Saturday and I didn't know where I would go if I didn't come back here.

So as soon as I realised it was open, I contacted Julian and he agreed to come down.''

Speaking of how it felt to be back in Whaley Bridge, Ms Edleston said: Very good. It's excellent.''

Whaley Bridge residents have spoken of their relief after returning to their homes for the first time in almost a week.

Many expressed their thanks to the emergency services for their efforts to stabilise the dam wall at Toddbrook Reservoir in the Derbyshire town.

The first person to walk through the cordon, Liz McCann, said: I was the first person across the line.

We just happened to be there just 10-15 minutes before so we just thought we'd wait to see if we heard any news.

And we're home. That's what we wanted. We're all safe and we're all together so there's not a problem.

We'd been on holiday for two weeks and we came back to this so we've not gone back yet.''

Another resident, Bernie Sharples, who returned home with her husband and her dog, said: It's absolutely fantastic, it's just great to see everyone again.

It's been an upsetting time but it's absolutely fantastic, all the authorities, the police, all who helped get us back here - a big thank you to everybody.

I just can't wait to get back to work tomorrow in the morning.''

Describing the rollercoaster of emotions he had felt over the last seven days, one resident, Nigel Eastmond, said: We had some tense days. I think everybody knows that on Thursday and Saturday there were tense moments.

Evacuations happened quickly and everybody responded really well.

I think Monday was the day that we woke up and there was no overnight rain, a lot of water had come out the reservoir and there was a great sense of relief.

It was much quieter and there wasn't as much traffic around.

Yesterday, there was an even greater sense of relief and today it's just fantastic.

They saved the village, that's what happened. They saved it.''

Local businesses also spoke of how the evacuation had affected them.

The owner of Adeva hairdressers in Whaley Bridge, Julian Thompson, said he did not know how he would cope if the evacuation had gone on for another week.

He said: It's been horrendous. It's been a huge huge worry.

Not just yourself but all your friends, clients, everybody. It was incredible, the response by everybody... but it's just huge relief now.''

He added: It's been very very difficult. I'm relieved it's only gone on for a week because I was thinking, if it goes on for another week or so, what am I going to do?

I have staff and I have to pay their wages. A week, I could just about do it - any longer than that and I'm starting to panic.

But now, I feel like I've got my life back.''

Speaking of the job the workers had done on the dam, the manager of local Whaley Bridge business Goyt Wines, Malcolm Swets, said: They've done a fantastic job, they couldn't have done any better.

It's all been done in a professional manner - they are welcome to a drink if they want one.

Obviously at the start we didn't know what was going to happen but unless we had the downpours over the weekend, they were making steady progress.

I'm not saying we planned for this day but if it wasn't going to be today, it would be tomorrow.

There was always going to be disruption, it was just a question of how long that disruption would be.

We've been closed since 1.30pm on Thursday... but everybody is safe so it doesn't matter. Everybody has had their own problems but nobody has been hurt.''

Community centre and book shop owner Anne Leyland claimed to own the first business to open in Whaley Bridge.

She said: Me and the gentleman next door at the Phoenix were the first to open, but of course, he's got to cook food.''

Ms Leyland said the evacuation had forced her to make a 40-mile round trip to buy milk.

She added: It's ridiculous. But the road is open now.''

One resident, Karen Edleston, decided to immediately get her hair cut as she entered the town for the first time since Thursday.

Ms Edleston said: Well, I was desperate to get my hair cut because I'm going to a wedding on Saturday and I didn't know where I would go if I didn't come back here.

So as soon as I realised it was open, I contacted Julian and he agreed to come down.''

Speaking of how it felt to be back in Whaley Bridge, Ms Edleston said: Very good. It's excellent.'

Whaley Bridge residents allowed back home

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Clean up underway in Poynton and Bramhall

Flooding due to sustained rain disrupted all lines on the railway between Manchester Airport and Wilmslow early on Thursday, according to train operator Northern.

A major incident was declared late on Wednesday in Poynton, Cheshire, due to "severe flooding'' and local groundwork landscaper Adam Wainwright described the aftermath as "complete chaos''.

He said: "We had flash flooding and heavy rain.

"There have been houses where the flood has had an effect, and it has just ripped through the houses. The water has just gone through the front door and out the back.''

A bridge which partially collapsed due to the flooding in Poynton caused a nearby tree to fall into Simon Howcroft's garden, where a sinkhole also opened up.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) said firefighters, emergency services personnel and staff from Highways England were helping those affected, with a rest centre established at Poynton Civic Hall.

CFRS added: "Please bear with us, crews and police officers are working very hard to get to those in need and the most vulnerable in our communities.''

Police urged people not to ignore "road closed'' signs by driving or walking through water.

"Your car could become submerged and the road underneath could have collapsed, putting you in danger,'' the Macclesfield North and Poynton Police Twitter account said.

Poynton Fire Station said its crews had handled call-outs to 20 incidents including to help people stranded by flooding.

By the early hours, crews had finished a seven-hour stint involving rescues, salvage operations and incidents involving electrics and floodwater.

Mr Wainwright, 36, a local groundwork landscaper from Poynton, rounded up some friends and got into his digger as the flooding spread.

From about 4pm to 2am, they went to different bridges in the area and cleared away debris to try to help the water flow so people could get to their homes.

He said: "We were stumped by the levels of the water. We pushed the machine to its limits and then we pushed ourselves. We did what we could to try and get it flowing. At the end of the day, we are a community that comes together at a time like this.''

The Environment Agency said its teams were out in Cheshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, where intense rainfall had caused flooding and disruption on Thursday.

It urged people to say away from swollen rivers and to avoid driving through flood water.

It issued a series of flood warnings covering central, north-west and north-east England.

The Met Office said it should be a "much drier picture'' across England on Thursday.

Stockport councillor Steve Gribbon, who is also a watch manager with the Greater Manchester Fire Service, said areas such as Stockport, Bramall and Cheadle Hulme had also been hit.

After going past the swollen River Goyt, he said: "I was amazed by how much has come down. It was about two metres higher than it normally is.

"The river is not normally that wide and it was about twice the width."