Repair work complete at flood-damaged dam

Country park ranger John Jackson at Ulley dam, near Rotherham, as repair work was declared officially complete yesterday, after specialist engineers mounted a massive project to repair severe damage caused by the devastating rainfall of 2007.

Councillors cut a ribbon on top of the dam, in Ulley Country Park, and said they were delighted the 5m scheme had been completed three years to the day since the floods caused chaos across Yorkshire.

At the height of the disaster, it was feared the dam would breach, swamping the nearby M1– which was closed as a precaution – and a huge electricity substation. Pumps were brought in from all over the country to relieve the pressure.

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Engineers were forced to empty the reservoir, which had been home to a sailing club, to make repairs. Rotherham Council, which owns the park and reservoir, said both would be reopened to the public when water levels had recovered.

Declaring the work complete, the council's development spokesman Gerald Smith said: "This is a landmark day in the history of Ulley Country Park – exactly three years since that fateful night.

"This has been a major engineering project requiring innovative solutions, which have also had to meet stringent national standards. Now the work is complete we can look forward to eventually reopening the country park later in the year."