The partial collapse of a dam in Whaley Bridge was due to “poor design and intermittent maintenance”, a report has concluded.

More than 1,500 people were evacuated from the Derbyshire town from August 1 last year due to fears that the dam wall at the Toddbrook Reservoir would collapse after heavy rain.

A review of the incident, conducted by Professor David Balmforth, has now called for inspections of the dam to be carried out as a “matter of routine”.

Despite the criticism of the design, the Canal and River Trust – which maintains the dam, previously said it was “happy” with how it was built and described the incident as an anomaly.

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The report, released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Monday, said: “The cause of failure at Toddbrook Reservoir on August 1 2019 was the poor design of the spillway, exacerbated by intermittent maintenance over the years which would have caused the spillway to deteriorate.

“It has not been possible to say whether it was the poor design or the intermittent maintenance that was the primary cause of failure on the day.

Read more: PA Media