Some Residents Begin Returning To Whaley Bridge Five Days After Evacuation

Police said a safe water level at the reservoir has been reached and engineers would be assessing the damage to the wall before making a decision on allowing more people to return.

Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Swann told a public meeting at a school in nearby Chapel-en-le-Frith on Tuesday that residents of the Horwich End area can return home.

However, hundreds of others will need to wait until Wednesday lunchtime to find out if it is safe to do so. 

Swann said: “I have got a meeting at 12pm tomorrow where I am expecting we will have good news.

“We have obviously been pumping the water out and it has gone down at a fast speed. It is now beyond 9.5 metres.

“We will keep draining the water until it is safe to stop. What we need to do is just to check the reservoir is fit for when it rains again and we have got a yellow weather warning.”

One resident who has returned, John Lomas, said: It’s great to be back home. All the services guys have done an excellent job, I’m very proud of them all.”

Another returning resident, Melissa Broxup, said the last few days had been “a nightmare. An absolute nightmare”.

“I’ve not been able to go anywhere and Whaley is so quiet. Everyone in Whaley has been amazing. It’s not easy.”

Asked what it was like to be one of the first to be let back in, she said: “It’s great. I can finally get some sleep. I just can’t wait to get back in my flat.

“I’m happy but on the other side I’m gutted for those who can’t come back.”

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning covering much of England, including the Derbyshire town, on Friday and Saturday.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said earlier “work is ongoing” at the dam and “nowhere have we said that the dam is safe” after people were hopeful of a return to their homes.