Military helicopter used in emergency training exercise

A Chinook military helicopter has been used to drop off a gigantic pump as part of a mock emergency training exercise at Dovestone Reservoir.

The operation is part of a huge mock training day which is taking place today across Greater Manchester – codenamed Triton II - the biggest live exercise ever held in the region.

Hundreds of people are taking part, including soldiers, GMP officers and mountain rescue teams, in order to test the emergency response in the event of a major ‘disaster’ in Greater Manchester.

The first part of Triton II has seen authorities attempting to deal with a fake emergency in which the water levels of the reservoir are rising to dangerous levels.

Those involved are attempting to prevent the dam breaking, which would mean a huge wave of water travelling through the valley and flooding all the way to Trafford.

That would mean thousands of households potentially being damaged across the region.

The Chinook helicopter is being used to transport fire crews and large pumps quickly to various points around the reservoir