Six years since the dam incident in Whaley Bridge which ‘changed the town forever’
Derbyshire Constabulary have reflected on the Toddbrook Reservoir dam incident six years on.
A spokesperson for the force said: “Today marks six years since the Whaley Bridge evacuation.
“The call we received at 10:40am on 1 August changed the town forever.”
The caller described how scenes were unfolding at the reservoir.
“I’m at the bowling club and the reservoir is collapsing and I’ve been watching it for five minutes, a huge concrete slab about 15-20 feet long has fell off and another piece is coming away as we speak.
“There’s a lot of houses in direct line of it if it goes.
“It’s so dangerous. The concrete holding the water in is completely disintegrating.”
The wall of Toddbrook Reservoir had been badly damaged during heavy recent rain and a decision was taken to stop access to Whaley Bridge and evacuate parts of the village. There were concerns the entire structure might fail, causing a major flood that could destroy much of the town.
Police asked the town’s 6,500 residents to go to a nearby school, bringing any medication and their pets with them.
A force spokesperson said: “Officers were assisted by a wide number of partner agencies including the fire service who had sent firefighters from across the country, the Environment Agency, the ambulance service, local councils and emergency planning staff.”
As well as helping to keep the residents safe, there was also a plan to secure the dam by using water pumps to remove the water to a safe level and using 400 tonnes of aggregate to divert water from entering the reservoir.
The news of the dam wall collapsing made national and international news and even saw former Prime Minister Boris Johnson make a visit to Whaley Bridge.
Derbyshire constabulary said: “While officers were at the scene, our communication and engagement team worked hard to keep Whaley Bridge residents informed.
“They shared updates through press conferences, Derbyshire Alert messages, social media posts, and responded to over 16,000 comments and questions.”
They said some of these comments told them that pets were still inside homes in the evacuation area.
Thanks to this information, the force were able to adjust our response and allow people back briefly to rescue their animals.
The reservoir is now being restored by the Canal and River Trust and Keir and the £15m project is due to be finished this year with a new side weir, tumble bay and spillway channel being created.
The force said after the dam incident they received many kind messages for the officers working to stop the dam from bursting, and it was clear that residents valued the updates provided.
They added: “It’s safe to say that social media can play a vital role in major incidents when communicating with the public.
“If you have any recommendations on how we do this or have any ideas on how we can improve, please let us know by completing the social media survey.”
To have your say on the police’s social media policy visit police.uk/.../2025/survey/social-media-survey/