Byline: David Collins Northern Correspondent

The owners of a dam above Whaley Bridge were repeatedly warned about safety issues before heavy rain caused it to fail last year, putting thousands of lives at risk.

An independent report shows how the Canal & River Trust (CRT) failed to carry out essential maintenance to keep the dam safe for residents of the picturesque Peak District town.

The CRT released public statements after the Whaley Bridge incident about the dam being in a "sound condition", said the report. However, following an engineer's 2018 inspection, the condition of the reservoir was quietly downgraded by the trust from C to D. Grade D is classed as "poor" with "structurally significant defects leading to loss of stability" generally in five to 10 years.

More than 1,500 people were forced to leave Whaley Bridge when the spillway section of the reservoir, a concrete slope used as an emergency overflow, began to crumble last August.

The incident triggered a meeting of the government's Cobra committee. A rescue operation was launched by the RAF and emergency services to save the town, which was in danger of being washed away by 300 million gallons of water.

The dam...