Hard Rock
One Thursday last July, there was an inrush of water into Tunnel C, deep underground beneath the Derbyshire hills. Within minutes it had flooded the tunnel face. No one was hurt, but it was yet another set-back for the biggest tunnelling scheme in Britain, which will eventually run for five miles from the River Derwent to a new reservoir at Carsington. By now, the miners should have dug almost the whole distance, but this ambitious scheme is already a year behind schedule. This film follows the miners underground and shows for the first time how they are held back by mud, rock and water. Delays lead to disputes between the contractor and the consulting engineer as cost estimates rise from £15m to £25m. They may rise more: there are still another four miles to dig. Narrator Colin Blakely
Film editor KEITH RAVEN
Horizon editor GRAHAM MASSEY Written and produced by ROBIN BRIGHTWELL