Breach of SRR from flood

Basic details

Publish date

02 September 2025

Case ID#

3113

Title

Breach of SRR from flood

Nation

England

Regulator reference no.

302

Legal status

Non-statutory

Reservoir type

Impounding

Reservoir capacity

10M+ m3

Year of construction

Unknown

Main construction type

Earth fill embankment

Dam height

5 - 9.99 metres

Dam flood category

Other / Not applicable

Hazard class

Undesignated / Unclassified

Reservoir use

  • Other

Owner type

Unknown

Incident details

Date & Time of incident

22 May 2006 - 12:00

Date incident closed

Observations that caused the incident to be declared

  • Dam or embankment overflowing or overtopping

Describe the incident

This dam failed due to flood inflow. The dam overflowed causing erosion of the downstream shoulder and eventual breaching of the dam. The embankment was inadequately designed, as it was constructed of an uncontrolled mixed fill material, which contributed to the failure. The spillway provision was also inadequate

Supporting photos

Causes and impacts

Natural processes which initiated or contributed to the incident

What were the main contributing factors to the incident occurring?

Dam factors

  • Other dam factors (describe below)

External factors

  • None

Shortcomings

  • Design shortcoming
  • Construction shortcoming

What was the root cause of the incident?

Impacts on the reservoir

  • External erosion

Supporting photos

Supporting contributions and studies

Describe any human factors which influenced the incident

Describe any instrumentation at the reservoir and how this was used in warning of the incident or providing monitoring during the incident

No instrumentation was installed.

Was instrumentation effective leading up to and during the incident?

Not Applicable

Describe any assistance by external parties and impacts on the downstream population

Fire brigade was called. Telephone calls were made to bank-side residents.

Summary of studies or investigations undertaken

None.

What are the lessons learnt from the incident

Lesson 1

  • General design and construction
The embankment had not been designed to best practice with respect to dam design. Spillway facilities were inadequate. This lead to overtopping and failure of the embankment.

Closing comments

Supporting photos