Engineers from Electricity North West (ENW) are working to secure power supplies following the partial collapse of a dam at Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire.
Workers are on site at substations close to the River Goyt in New Mills, Disley, Marple Bridge and as far away as Stockport in Greater Manchester, to assess the risk of flooding and ensure the safety of equipment in the area.
“Flood cubes” – containers used by ENW to store specialist equipment at strategic locations throughout the North West – are being delivered to nearby sites.
Clive Wilkinson, ENW operations director, said: “We’re working really closely with all other agencies through coordinated calls to continually assess the risk in this fast-moving situation.
“If flooding of substations is looking likely then power will be have to be removed for safety reasons. We will continue to keep everyone informed of the situation as part of this coordinated multi-agency response.”
Water is currently being pumped out of Toddbrook Reservoir and more than 1,000 residents have been evacuated from the town.
Derbyshire Police said several measures are being taken to lower water levels and allow repair work to begin safely.
The Canal and River Trust, which manages the dam, has installed 16 high-volume pumps to remove water from the reservoir and 400 tonnes of aggregate will be used prevent more from entering.
RAF crews, working alongside structural engineers, used a Chinook helicopter overnight to reinforce the reservoir wall with more than 50 tonnes of aggregate.