![\"BAMFORD,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_317465154-043c.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe villages were flooded in the 1940s to make way for the reservoir (Picture: Getty)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tThe villages were flooded in the 1940s to make way for the reservoir (Picture: Getty)<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s ongoing drought has uncovered the remains of two lost villages which were demolished and flooded to create a reservoir more than 80 years ago. <\/p>\n
Stonework, walls and the foundations of former homes of Derwent and Ashopton have emerged from the depths of Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire<\/a>. <\/p>\n The villages were deliberately flooded in the 1940s to make way for the reservoir, which can hold a whopping 2,869 megalitres of water.<\/p>\n After the summer-long drought, levels have fallen sharply, standing at just 32 per cent capacity. <\/p>\n Eerie aerial images reveal the detailed layouts of long-lost streets and buildings etched into the mud after water levels dropped dramatically. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up for all of the latest stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n \t\t A former pump house still stands tall in the dirt, while chunks of finely cut stone walls remain remarkably upright despite decades underwater.<\/p>\n Historic buildings, churches and limestone cottages were submerged when the Derwent Valley was flooded between 1935 and 1943 to create the reservoir, which supplies water to Derby, Sheffield, Nottingham<\/a> and Leicester<\/a>. <\/p>\n Now the outlines of dozens of limestone cottages that once housed more than 100 people are visible for the first time since 2018. <\/p>\n The ghost village of Ashopton once boasted its own pubs, an iconic old toll house and the extravagant Derwent Hall before it was wiped off the map. <\/p>\n Rising temperatures throughout the summer<\/a> coupled with six months of below-average rainfall have caused stored water levels to plummet, exposing parts of the valley unseen for years. <\/p>\n \t\t Doug Clarke, Severn Trent\u2019s water resources lead, told the BBC: \u2018We\u2019ve 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\u2019ve more stored than this time last year.<\/p>\n \u2018Reservoirs make up around a third of our water supplies, with the rest coming from rivers and groundwater, and our teams are continuing to work<\/a> around the clock to treat more water and fix leaks at record levels. <\/p>\n \u2018But we\u2019re also asking customers to continue using water wisely all year round, to help ensure there is always enough to go around.\u2019<\/p>\n Ladybower Reservoir underwent major refurbishment work in the 1990s to raise and strengthen the dam wall and reduce the risk of \u2018overtopping\u2019 during a major flood.<\/p>\n The eerie remains offer a rare glimpse of the village which disappeared beneath the water more than half a century ago. <\/p>\n The remarkable discovery comes as England<\/a>\u2018s drought continues to worsen. <\/p>\n Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more stories like this, check our news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow![\"BAMFORD,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_317465881-bc19.jpg\")
\n\t\tStone walls were also seen in the thick mud (Picture: Getty)<\/p>\n![\"BAMFORD,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SEI_317465157-ceb9.jpg\")
\n\t\tA pump house was exposed by the severe drought conditions (Picture: Getty)<\/p>\n
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