SERVICES from across Bolton have been helping in the operation to save a town from the risk of a dam collapse.

Hundreds of residents in Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire were evacuated on Thursday because of fears that a nearby reservoir was at risk of bursting through a broken dam wall.

Firefighters from Bolton Central Fire Station have been helping with efforts to reduce the risk by pumping water out of the reservoir.

A crew from Farnworth Fire Station and staff from Bolton Council assisted with collecting and dropping off sand bags in Stockport.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Our teams worked late last night to get 250 sandbags over to Stockport Council to support the civil contingency response to the Whaley Bridge dam.

"We are continuing to monitor the situation and offer support as required."

Water flowing into Toddbrook Reservoir was “reduced considerably” overnight, but engineers remained “very concerned” about the integrity of the damaged 180-year-old structure, which contains around 1.3 million tonnes of water.

Firefighters and an RAF Chinook appeared to have partly stabilised the “unprecedented, fast-moving, emergency situation” caused by heavy rain. The Chinook was dropping one-ton sandbags on to the damaged area to bolster the structure.