Lost village at Ladybower Reservoir appears as drought continues

Lost village reappears as drought continues Image source, Getty Images Image caption, A pump house from Derwent village has been exposed by the low water levels By George Torr East Midlands Published 3 hours ago Low water levels at a reservoir in Derbyshire have revealed a former settlement that was deluged in the 1940s. The village of Derwent made way for Ladybower Reservoir which was built between 1935 and 1943. Figures show , external the reservoir's water levels stand at just under 32% capacity following a sustained summer dry spell which led to a drought being declared in the East Midlands back in August. Severn Trent Water has urged people visiting the area to keep on the paths as the exposed reservoir bed is "extremely muddy and not safe to walk on". Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The muddy reservoir bed can clearly be seen Image source, Getty Images Image caption, An overhead view shows the remnants of the village Historic buildings, churches and limestone cottages in Derwent and Ashopton were lost when the Derwent Valley was flooded. The plan, which was strongly opposed by locals, was to help serve the growing cities of Derby, Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester with water. Latest figures from the Environment Agency shows the majority of English regions are in drought conditions following a record-hot summer and the driest April-to-September period in over a century. Overall, roughly 82% of England remains in drought,18 reservoir groups are less than half full, and temporary use restrictions remain active across large regions, requiring significant autumn and winter rainfall to replenish severely depleted groundwater and reservoir storage. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, People have been told to be careful around the remnants Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The old pump house remains intact Doug Clarke, Severn Trent's water resources lead, said: "We've seen six months of below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures so reservoir levels will take time to recover, but overall, across our region we've more stored than this time last year. "Reservoirs make up around a third of our water supplies, with the rest coming from rivers and groundwater, and our teams are continuing to work around the clock to treat more water and fix leaks at record levels. "But we're also asking customers to continue using water wisely all year round, to help ensure there is always enough to go around." Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Current water levels are at about 32% Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Severn Trent bosses said levels will take time to recover Get in touch Tell us which stories we should cover in Derby Contact form Contact form Listen to BBC Radio Derby on Sounds and follow BBC Derby on Facebook , external , on X , external , or on Instagram , external . Send your story ideas to [email protected] , external or via WhatsApp , external on 0808 100 2210. Related topics Derwent Derbyshire Severn Trent More on this story The East Midlands is in drought, what does that mean for Severn Trent? Published 15 August