Minibus works halted by Whaley dam evacuation

Minibus Options, the minibus converter, has had to suspend work as repairs are made to the reservoir dam in its home town of Whaley Bridge.

The factory lies in the path of the River Goyt at the top end of the Peak Forest Canal, and had to close on Thursday 1 August: “It was not a problem I expected to deal with last Thursday,” said Director Fred James.

“The factory is 800 metres downhill from the dam; one of four out of five factories and 60 of our vehicles in its direct path. We let staff go, on the advice of police, around 2pm on Thursday. At 3.30pm, the police were back to order the management team to evacuate.”

Toddbrook Reservoir, built in 1840 to supply the Peak Forest Canal, has had a litany of erosion problems dating back to the 1930s, with dam wall repairs made every decade since the 1960s.