Hundreds of homes get 'do not drink water' warning

Thames Water has set up bottled water stations in Bramley

More than 600 households in a Surrey village have been warned not to drink tap water after tests carried out by Thames Water following a previous fuel leak.

The company said the advice was a precautionary measure for properties in Bramley, where there had been concerns about a petrol station spill.

Thames Water said "concerning results" had been identified in three areas, showing "elevated" levels of hydrocarbons, which petrol is made from.

Resident Helen Melia said: "It's hugely inconvenient - hugely worrying."

Tess Fayers, Thames Water's regional operations director, told BBC Radio Surrey: "It is all linked to an issue with a fuel leak which has been plaguing the town of Bramley for quite some time."

Catha Holt said she had been drinking only bottled water since the start of the year.

She said the notice was "quite worrying for people".

Steve Hardstone, landlord of the Jolly Farmer pub, said it had the only deep cellar in the high street, and the smell of fuel had "permeated the whole building".

He said: "It's damaged us massively. We've had customers literally walk in and walk out again."

The pub is not covered by the advisory notice, and Mr Hardstone said it would continue to use water "with some reservation".

Thames Water said 616 homes had been given the advice as a precautionary measure

Bottle banks have been set up outside Bramley library and at Artington Park-and-Ride.

Thames Water has advised customers to avoid using tap water to brush teeth or prepare food, even after boiling.

But said the water could be used for bathing and in washing machines.

It said water supply in the village "has been safe to drink up to this point".

Ms Fayers said it had "isolated" the issue and retested the three locations, with results being processed at an independently-verified laboratory.

Evan Venn said he didn't know about the issue until this morning

Evan Venn, 68, said he did not hear about the notice - issued on Thursday night - until the morning.

He said: "I drank two-and-a-half litres of tap water between last night and this morning. I went to the gym and had no idea.

"My wife told me this morning, she found out on Facebook."

Peter Hall said there had been a "terrible smell" of petrol on the high street "for weeks"

Peter Hall, 88, also wasn't aware of the issue until the morning.

"We'd already consumed a quantity of the water and cleaned our teeth," he said.

Thames Water is currently replacing a water pipe outside the petrol station, with works set to last for about four weeks.

Ozzie Kabadayi from King Fish said he thought the temporary traffic lights were putting people off stopping for food.

Preparation at the fish shop is also taking three to four hours, rather than one, as staff have to use bottled water for tasks such as washing potatoes.

Thames Water has been regularly carrying out extra tests since October, but ramped up efforts to about 12 a week.

It said when ingested with drinking water, hydrocarbons may lead to nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, although low levels are not expected to cause long term issues.

Steve Hardstone said the impact of the fuel leak had been "devastating" for Bramley

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Jane Austin, a Conservative councillor on Waverley Borough Council (WBC), said the latest water warning was "just yet another horrible thing that's happened to our village because of this fuel leak".

WBC said it was working with Thames Water and other agencies to "mitigate the impact on residents".