Lost villages uncovered from reservoir thanks to low water levels

| Live News Reporter Published October 26, 2026 2:46pm Updated October 26, 2026 3:01pm The villages were flooded in the 1940s to make way for the reservoir (Picture: Getty) Britain’s ongoing drought has uncovered the remains of two lost villages which were demolished and flooded to create a reservoir more than 80 years ago. Stonework, walls and the foundations of former homes of Derwent and Ashopton have emerged from the depths of Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire. The villages were deliberately flooded in the 1940s to make way for the reservoir, which can hold a whopping 2,869 megalitres of water. After the summer-long drought, levels have fallen sharply, standing at just 32 per cent capacity. Eerie aerial images reveal the detailed layouts of long-lost streets and buildings etched into the mud after water levels dropped dramatically. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. Stone walls were also seen in the thick mud (Picture: Getty) A former pump house still stands tall in the dirt, while chunks of finely cut stone walls remain remarkably upright despite decades underwater. 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 and Leicester. Now the outlines of dozens of limestone cottages that once housed more than 100 people are visible for the first time since 2018. 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. Rising temperatures throughout the summer coupled with six months of below-average rainfall have caused stored water levels to plummet, exposing parts of the valley unseen for years. A pump house was exposed by the severe drought conditions (Picture: Getty) Doug Clarke, Severn Trent’s water resources lead, told the BBC: ‘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.’ Ladybower Reservoir underwent major refurbishment work in the 1990s to raise and strengthen the dam wall and reduce the risk of ‘overtopping’ during a major flood. The eerie remains offer a rare glimpse of the village which disappeared beneath the water more than half a century ago. The remarkable discovery comes as England‘s drought continues to worsen. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: I visited the Peak District as a woman of colour — it’s never been more important Arrow MORE: Shop worker ‘threatened by man brandishing giant machete’ News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.