MEMBERS of the Royal Air Force in Odiham have been drafted in to help stop a reservoir in Derbyshire collapsing after it was “badly” damaged during heavy rain.

Military assistance was needed after hundreds of Whaley Bridge residents have spent the night away from their homes on Thursday (August 1) due to “an unprecedented, fast-moving, emergency situation” caused by heavy downpours.

A chinook from RAF Odiham was drafted in to help relieve some of the pressure which was being put on the damn which protects the area.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “It will drop one-ton bags of aggregate – a mixture of sand, gravel and stone – into Todd Brook.

“This is intended to stem the flow of water into the reservoir.”

Toddbrook Reservoir – which contains around 1.3 million tonnes of water – has seen “extensive” damage during the flooding and images appear to show a huge hole in the dam wall.

More than 400 tonnes of aggregate would be brought by the RAF as part of a multi-agency taskforce.

Firefighters deployed from across the country used at least 10 high volume pumps to reduce water to a safe level before work will begin to repair the dam wall. Many people were told to leave their homes and directed to an evacuation point at a school in Chapel-en-le-Frith.