Services in the next few minutes. Did evening. We are staying with our main story here tonight on the bbc news channel, the news from derbyshire. Raf helicopter crews trying to say that dam in derbyshire amid fears it could burst and engulfed much of the town of Whaley Bridge. The chinooks alp dropping bags of sand, gravel and stone to shore up the dam wall. Experts have described the situation is critical and 1500 people have moved out of their homes in the area. The Prime Minister said his thoughts are with them. As we have been saying for the last 20 minutes or so, we are expecting a News Conference any moment. We are expecting to hear from Emergency Services, the police, the environment agency. As soon as that gets under way with all the latest details, we will be back in buxton for that. First, this was pulled from our corresponded laura foster who has spent the day in Whaley Bridge. Chinook helicopters have been flying in since 5 30am this morning. They have made 200 tonnes so far but they need to move to double that to shore up need to move to double that to shore up the dam. All of the gravel coming from local quarries. It is really difficult task, we are being asked to get a real precision drop, we have to get as low as we can. You can see behind us the skies and girls are taking a little bit of time to get in there because we have to make sure it is not done too high but also we got to get them into centimetres square areas so it is like a big lego block that we are building, weve got a foundation in there, and we are building each on top of each other. The problem is the spillway, damaged after a months worth of rain here fell in a single week. It is putting hundreds of homes that lie below it in jeopardy. The plan for the fire service is to stop what is coming in the reservoir but using the chinook and the raf to jam up the inlets but at the same time get as much water in the reservoir as we can. There is still a real risk it could collapse. The Structural Engineer on site is very concerned about that and basically the information as we have to do something here because it is not going to go away on its own. Meetings like this have been happening throughout the night and all through this morning, it is a really joined all through this morning, it is a reallyjoined up all through this morning, it is a really joined up operation all through this morning, it is a reallyjoined up operation here. Right now, the engineers are trying to clear land that i can put more water pumps and. The idea is if you can reduce the amount of water in the reservoir, it reduces the pressure on the dam. After the damns spillway partially club yesterday afternoon, People Living in Whaley Bridge were told to evacuate as the town could be flooded. Most stayed with friends and family, some were put up in hotels, others are used camper vans. 0ur hotels, others are used camper vans. Our house about feet from the river so it is pretty risky really. I dont know, if the dam went, i dont think we would have a house, to be honest. Engineers are still assessing what caused the dam to partially collapse but all the people who live here care about is that the warm, sunny weather continues, and if and when they may be able to go back home. We hope we might get some answers to that particular question in this new conference in the next little while. Lets hear it live festival for the environment secretary theresa villiers. She has been speaking, just in the last hour or so. Villiers. She has been speaking, just in the last hour or solj chaired just in the last hour or sol chaired a meeting of cobra this afternoon to ensure that the government is doing what i possibly can to stabilise the situation in Whaley Bridge. I want to pay tribute to the incredible work of the First Responders and all the teams on the ground who are working hard to make the situation say. I would also like to pass on my sympathies to all those who have had to leave their homes as a result of what is happening in Whaley Bridge and absolutely commit that we are doing all we can to ensure that they can return to their homes. I thank them for listening to the advice of the Emergency Services, and i would urge them to be patient and to continue to listen to that advice, and lastly i would also express my sympathy with those in other parts of the country who are also affected by flooding at the moment. What is the plan if the dam does collapse . The government and all the Emergency Responders are working at pace to do everything we can to ensure that we stabilise the situation to try and prevent that collapse but of course, extensive plans are being put into place to deal that situation where to arise. But you will have seen the pictures of helicopters, dropping sandbags, and a high powered pumps are also being used to seek to stabilise the situation as soon as possible. So, it is not stabilised yet . It is not stabilised, as yet. A huge amount of work is going on to ensure we do everything we can to protect the communities of Whaley Bridge and their homes, and that is what the cobra meeting this afternoon is all about, to make sure that all the agencies involved are working seamlessly together on this, that they have all the resources that they have all the resources that they have all the resources that they need, and we heard extensively from the royal commander on the ground, and we will be keeping in close touch over the coming days. Obviously, it is not the only ancient dam in the country. Will you be reviewing the structure of all the others . Well, the regulator has an extensive and regular programme for checking all of these types of questions. The important thing for today, and the coming days, is that we are doing everything we can to ensure that people in Whaley Bridge are able, ultimately, to return to their homes, and that we do everything we can to make the situation safe. A longer term, no doubt we shall look to see what lessons need to be learned from what has happened in Whaley Bridge. Finally, any idea when they will be able to get back to their homes and will they be compensated . I wish i could give you the answer, in terms of the exact time. Unfortunately, engineers on the ground arent able to give that answer, but i know they are working incredibly hard to ensure that people can return to their homes as soon as people can return to their homes as soon as possible. And compensation . Those are questions that will have to wait for another occasion but i would encourage anyone affected by this, and of course the media, to hear the press conference later on today by the Emergency Services who are dealing with the situation who i hope will be able to share further information on the situation with you. Theresa villiers, environment secretary, in the last hour. The participants have just sat down at the News Conference. We know we will hear from the police and the environment agency. Gavin thomas and deputy chief fire officer. Chief operating officer for the canal and river trust. This press conference concerns the ongoing Critical Incident at todd rick reservoir at Whaley Bridge. The Current Situation is that throughout the day, Emergency Services with assistance from partner agencies, have continued effort to shore up the dam, with the intention of improving the Structural Integrity. In addition, we have also taken efforts to reduce the flow of water into the reservoir and also pump water out to reduce the volume. We have had fantastic support from across the country. Ten pumps from the fire service are at the scene and further pumps are being installed from throughout the day and evening. By doing this, we have lowered the water level by half a metre, and further pumps are on route to help lower the level of the dam. I must stress that the Structural Integrity of the dam wall is still at a critical level, and there is still a substantial threat to life should the dam will fail. So our plea is that we would ask for residents to continue to heed Police Advice and stay away from Whaley Bridge and we can give further updates as soon as we have them. Now, we know that this has been very distressful for the residents of Whaley Bridge and i would like to say a big thank you to them because they have been really supportive, we have had officers visit every location, and the majority have been absolutely fantastic, ta ken that majority have been absolutely fantastic, taken that advice, and i have been directed to safety. So, anyone who has been displaced but not attended the evacuation rendezvous point which is at chapel high school, can still do that. We would still urge people to do that, attend the school, it is at long lane, chapel and the frisk at high peak. Further to this, we know there is real concern from the residents who have left their address, this can consent medication as well, so i urge that anyone who does not have their prescription medicine available, as a result of the evacuation, make sure that they will get it quickly and easily, by calling the nhs on 111. As this has been progressed, we know that it was critical to get people out of that area. In doing so, we know people, the residents have left belongings behind that they would need, essential belongings, and also there is some real concern around Animal Welfare. Now, we have been. It has a lwa ys welfare. Now, we have been. It has always been in our mindset to be able to inform the public how long this is going to take, it is really difficult, and until we get all the pumps in place to be able to make that accurate assessment, we are not going to know. But this is a very difficult decision that we have made. We have made it collectively. And we need to consider the situation of the residents and we will be putting plans in place for residents to return to their addresses for a very short time, very controlled, to pick up really vital things that they need, along with the Animal Welfare that they can tend to. But this is very controlled, i must stress that, because this is very critical and it is still life at risk. Local officers and partners have held a residents meeting, informed them directly, because we believe it is only right that the residents should hear that directly from us. I must stress that any resident who does wish to enter Whaley Bridge are advised that they do so at their own risk and that the risk to life remains high in the area. Any questions . Yes yes, bbc news. You said you would be putting in plan residents to return in a short time ina very residents to return in a short time in a very controlled manner, when you tell us how that is happening and how it will work . Plans are being put to get at the minute. You will know we have a physical presence around that area, where we dont want people to enter. It will be very controlled in that we will be very controlled in that we will be recording who enters, we will be restricting that to one person per household, and we will be giving clear instructions on how long the residents have got before they have to report back to us. That is being worked through at the minute. The residents will be informed when that is in place but we are hoping to get it in place as quick as we can. Ill have another question. Laura from bbc news. We have questions about the emergency discharge valves. Had they been fully opened . And how had they been fully opened . And how had they been fully opened . And how had they been maintained . They been fully opened . And how had they been maintained . L they been fully opened . And how had they been maintained . I have had a few questions over the last 24 hours, and the discharge valves at the base are in relation to water supply, the base are in relation to water supply, i did ask by engineer earlier, specifically, about this. In normal use, the reservoir in the condition of floods, the ancillary which is the one we experienced failure on, would be able to cope. The discharge valves would traditionally be used in day to day operation of the reservoir, and of course, immediately after experienced the difficulties, in an effort to reduce any flow over the weir, that is when the emergency discharge valves were opened. Fully open . I believe so, but i havent checked that. I cant imagine they would not be. How often are they maintained . Regularly. They fall into the remit of the overall expections so they would be expected frequently. It would be a six monthly minimum, and i think there isa monthly minimum, and i think there is a requirement to open emergency valves at lease payment directly as pa rt of valves at lease payment directly as part of the planned preventative maintenance structures. It would not be opened before because their purposeis be opened before because their purpose is not to be there for the day to day operation of the reservoir, it is to do with feeder supplies, so there is usually a Feeder Supply and an emergency drawdown bow. In day to day operation, the ancillary weir would be the one to deal with these conditions. How much morning will you have that the substantial threat to life is unfolding . As you can appreciate, with the amount of water that the reservoir holds, if the dam gives, it will be fairly quick, as you can appreciate. Plans are being worked through, just around how far that water travels at what rate, but our key focus here is to get people out of that line of water. Are we talking seconds or minutes, in terms ofa talking seconds or minutes, in terms of a warning that this is happening . So, we will have officers. There is a plan around that way officers will be able to alert, but in terms of how quickly that water displaces, it is very difficult to say. How would you reason that risk that is associated with leaving the homes . So, we have been working throughout the night, since this was reported to us yesterday morning, it has been co nsta nt. As to us yesterday morning, it has been constant. As you will have seen, with the military assistance, that we have been able to reinforce, to some extent, the wall of the dam, and also, as we have said, we are seeing a reduction in the volume there. But we have to balance it with we know that there is real Animal Welfare there, we know that the residents need to get some vital belongings, and so that is why we are reducing this to a very, short time. That is controlled. We dont wa nt time. That is controlled. We dont want people going in there and just staying there, it is controlled, we need them in and we need them out. What is the calculated risk . It is a difficult decision. We know it is. But weve got residents there who are absolutely distressed around. Their pets, their animals that have been left at the address. It is not an easy decision, really it isnt. You mention you have the assistance of the military, is this something you will be continuing in the next few days . We will seek from help from the military for as long as we need them. And we have had that support and that assurance. The raf chinooks have been up, what other techniques you will be using . We are taking advice from the royal engineers to see if they can build some kind of temporary hard standing so we can some kind of temporary hard standing so we can get additional pumps and around the reservoir. At the moment, weve got the maximum amount of high volume pump that we can physically fit in so we are looking at alternative ways to get additional pumps in. Because our priority has been to reduce the amount of water going into the reservoir, which we have done in partnership with certainly the raf with the chinooks and mountain rescue, moving the sandbags. We have ten high volume pumps moving around 70,000 litres of water a minute out of the dam. And we are in the process of putting some additional larger pumps in there with the assistance of the raf. The idea is if the engineers can assist us and it is a feasible task, they will perk put a temporary standing in there and bring the high volume pumps in. We are standing by and ready to go should that be available. It is down to the advice and guidance we get but the priority is to remove the water as fast as we can from that dam, and the more pumps we can get to work the faster we can remove it ina to work the faster we can remove it in a controlled manner. Inaudible. We have three engineers on site at any point. They are looking at inflows as well as outflows so i dont know what where that calculation came from and i cant comment specifically on that but they are very focused on what is coming in on the volume of the pumps and the amount that they are removing, and the calculations about how long it will take to lower the levels. We have more pumps on site that we can currently use so there is not a lack of equipment and materials, it is about fitting their men and getting them to Work Together to reduce the water. In addition to that, it has been very complex trying to get ten huge high volume pumps down narrow lanes and working into the dam. So this has been put in one piece after another in place of the jigsaw throughout the night, throughout this morning, so it only during today that we have got the maximum amount of pumps working and taking the maximum amount of water out at we can at this time. I appreciate that but an emergency valve could clear quickly. So, reservoir design and improvements are such that for many years now people are responsible for reservoirs after having emergency plans to deal fur water much quicker than what can be coped with. Through the emergency valve. Additional pumps forms part of all our emergency drawdown plans for our reservoirs,. Can i ask how confident or satisfied you are that the chinooks . That they are mitigating the risk and getting us closer to a stage where it is safe . So, maybe getting a bit technical, but basically, what weve lost some of the spillway here and the concentration has in two areas. Also to protect the dam from further erosion, and so adding weight to the front where the material has been lost is a key factor. We have been taking advice from our reservoir engineers and they can direct the priorities on site. I think that we are approaching it with doing all the things we should be doing, getting that balance between lowering the water as quickly as possible and protecting the macro the dam from risk of failure. I am hopeful. As you already heard, this is still a very critical situation, lam not is still a very critical situation, i am not complacent, and until we are confident that we can control the risk, our position has to be to protect Public Safety and limit access because we dont want to put people at risk. Inaudible. Can i just ask one more thing, please . The Derbyshire County Council have put or will be putting a helpline in, and this is for all local people, local residents, and that will go live front 9am tomorrow until 10pm. Ifi live front 9am tomorrow until 10pm. If i could get that number out, please. That number is 01629 533100. The emergency number is 01629 533100. That is the helpline number. Emergency number is 01629 533100. That is the helpline numberl dont think any of the percentages have come from a of the teams working on site because it is almost impossible to assess the risk in that fashion. Our message is that the dam is Still Critical and will remain critical until we can lower the reservoir levels below the damage in the front face, that is the key priority for us on site. I dont have a measurement figure in my head but it is several metres that we need to reduce the level in the dam. And that is why, you know, it could take a number of days to do that. So, the latest from the police, the environment agency, and others. The Police Telling us that a substantial threat to life exists if the wall fails, and also, crucially, the assista nt fails, and also, crucially, the assistant chief constable of Derbyshire Police saying perhaps the thing that residents really dont wa nt to thing that residents really dont want to hear, that is very difficult to say how long this is going to take. My colleague and ando is with me and has been following todays developments, and you were listening to that conference as well and it gave us a sense of the scale of the task here. Absolutely did. A scale of the task, a sense of how little they know about predicting what is going to happen. I think there is a clear indication that they have listened to what local people are saying. What they are arranging is this controlled access, they said, for people who have houses in the danger area, many people have pets in those houses, they are politically concerned about, some people are very distressed about having to leave their pets behind, so having to leave their pets behind, so they are going to allow one person per household, very limited controlled access. They did say it is at their own risk but clearly they felt they needed to allow people to go back to their homes, possibly to get medication, to get the pets left behind, while work continues to on three fronts. Shoring up the dam, putting weight in there, dropped from the helicopter to try and strengthen the dam where it has been weakened by the failure of the concrete panels. They also bring in the water level down with the use of these High Pressure pumps. They said they have more pumps on standby. The difficulty is because of the woodland around the edge of the reservoir is creating hard standing so reservoir is creating hard standing so they can get in there and work. Finally, they have been using helicopters to drop stones further up, to stop the water further up getting into the reservoir. It is very clear that if the dam were to breach, they havent really been able to model effectively what will happen. I dont know how quickly the water would search in. What it would do. Where it would go. That is why theyre having to do so cautious. Caution is the word, they talked about the fact that the pumps they have lowered the water by half a metre, and a Structural Engineer and the experts that ive been talking to on this programme tonight, they make the point that things currently are in the Emergency Services favour, the weather is right that the conditions are right, dry weather of causes they need, but you just couldnt get away from the fact that, i suppose, just couldnt get away from the fact that, isuppose, perhaps i just couldnt get away from the fact that, i suppose, perhaps i should be using the word unprecedented. So many of them at the News Conference kept coming back to the fact that, we just kept coming back to the fact that, wejust dont kept coming back to the fact that, we just dont know. We dont know how long this will take what future holds here, and of course, Public Safety has to be the number one priority. That is absolutely right. Fundamentally, you are dealing with an old structure. It is 180 odd yea rs an old structure. It is 180 odd years old. It came into use in 1831. What happens to structures over long periods of time when suddenly out of the blue they are presented with a massive increase in the stresses and strains that are put on them, bit start to break away, that is what we just dont know. We have to wait and see, really. In terms of the Emergency Services, they know they are trying to do, at the moment it seems times are with them, conditions have not worsened, water levels are falling, but they still consider it to be critical. Yes, and when i talk about people going back to their homes, as you mentioned, only very strictly, one person per household. And when you hear the police say that will be done at your own risk, that just police say that will be done at your own risk, thatjust shows you the potential dangers here. Of course the Emergency Services will look after people the best they can but the fact that they even used that phrase is so striking. Absolutely. They are talking about a high risk to life. There is nothing confusing about the message, is there . If the dam were to fail suddenly, it would bea dam were to fail suddenly, it would be a catastrophic failure, a huge amount of water, millions of gallons, would suddenly flow down into this area below the dam where the town lies. That is something where they just dont the town lies. That is something where theyjust dont know what would happen in those circumstances, how quick it would be, how much damage it would do, clearly there would be damaged but they dont how much. In terms of allowing people back, they are taking the view that it is it is a manageable risk but they have clearly decided that eddie you balance the distress of people, the need to get emergency medication, to get their pets, against what the level of risk is, they thought, if we allowed them in or dozens at a time, few people at ata time, or dozens at a time, few people at at a time, they will sign them all ina time, at a time, they will sign them all in a time, they will sign them all in and find them all out again, they will keep tabs on who is in the area and give them a fixed period of time they are allowed in therefore before they are allowed in therefore before they have to called back to the cord and on the outer edge of the danger zone. It will be very controlled, i think, was the phrase used repeatedly, very managed to make sure they know who is in the area and they are in there for the minimum amount of time they need to do what they need to do, get emergency medication or rescue pets left behind. In the big evacuation that took place before when the dam plans. Thank you very much indeed. As is or foster who is at the scene and was also listening to that News Conference. Laura foster. We know local people and all those people out of their homes have been spoken to by the police and Emergency Services tonight but it sounds as though they are certainly not going to get news that they want. They will not be sleeping in their homes anytime soon, that is how it seems to be. Certainly not the news they we re to be. Certainly not the news they were hoping to receive. They were