Dam burst fears as rain adds to flood misery

North Wales Police evacuated residents from Pennal, near Machynlleth, Powys, following a breach in the dam of a local reservoir which caused a small amount of water to escape.

Superintendent Andy Jenks-Gilbert said the evacuation was simply a precautionary measure.

A crack had been found in a stone wall at the reservoir and a small amount of water had escaped, he said.

“Should the wall be completely breached, the contents of the reservoir will go into the river which flows through the village of Pennal, which is around half a mile from the reservoir.”

The drama came as hundreds of people who were evacuated following flash flooding 20 miles away were returning to their homes and caravans.

Villages in the county of Ceredigion were flooded by up to 5ft of water on Saturday.

Some 150 residents and holidaymakers were rescued and evacuated from homes and caravan parks near Aberystwyth after twice as much rain fell in the space of 24 hours as normally falls in the area in the whole of June.

Fire crews were again working around the clock yesterday, continuing to pump out water from a number of locations.

Although many roads have reopened, a flood warning remained in place and water had yet to recede fully in some places.

North Yorkshire was also hit by flash flooding after heavy downpours. Firefighters were pumping out water from properties in Boroughbridge and Badger Hill, York, last night.

It was a busy weekend for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service, which also sent crews to deal with flooding in Main Street, Flaxton, and Sandy Lane in Stockton-on-the-Forest, on Saturday.

Flood alerts were still in place last night for the River Foss from Stillington to the River Ouse in York, and the River Foulness in Market Weighton, East Yorkshire.