Two lost villages flooded 80 years ago are unearthed at Derbyshire's Ladybower Reservoir as drought drains it to 32 per cent

Derwent and Ashopton were deliberately flooded between 1935 and 1943 so the valley could supply water to Derby, Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester. Aerial photographs now reveal the outlines of dozens of limestone cottages that were once home to more than 100 people. An old pump house still stands upright in the mud. Ministers have reportedly received secret warnings that reservoirs could run dry before Christmas.

Ashopton formerly had its own pubs, a toll house and the grand Derwent Hall.

The submerged streets have not been visible since 2018, eight years ago.

Severn Trent's Doug Clarke blamed 'six months of below-average rainfall' for the plunging levels.