Residents of UK town threatened with flood return to homes

Residents evacuated last week from an English town threatened with flooding after a nearby reservoir partially collapsed were allowed to return to their homes on Wednesday, police said.

More than 1,500 people had been evacuated from the Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge after part of the dam wall of the Toddbrook Reservoir disintegrated Thursday following heavy rain.

Hundreds of emergency workers had since worked around the clock to pump water out of the reservoir to ease pressure on the wall.

A military Chinook helicopter also dropped hundreds of tonnes of stone and gravel in sacks to shore up the damaged portion.

"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," Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Swann said in a statement from Derbyshire Police.

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

Swann said further work would be completed by Britain's Environment Agency to assess the extent of the damage caused to the dam wall and what action would be required.

Residents had been forced to spend nearly a week away from their homes and were only allowed back briefly over the weekend to collect essential items.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the area on Friday, where he said the 180-year-old dam would require a "major rebuild", while opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also paid a visit Monday.