Risk of explosion due to petrol leak - company

Warnings have been spray painted on the ground

There is a risk of an underground explosion in a village in Surrey because of an ongoing petrol leak, a telecommunications company has said.

An Openreach spokesperson said it was doing everything it could to mitigate the increased likelihood of an explosion in Bramley as the leak had impacted part of its underground network.

Services for users in the area had also been impacted, the network provider added.

A spokesperson said: "It could take many months to make the ducts safe for our engineers to access."

The Wheatsheaf pub has issued a warning to customers

The Wheatsheaf pub has asked customers to not smoke in front of the site because of the potential explosion risk.

Openreach said it was working with local authorities, communication providers and other organisations to resolve the incident "as quickly and safely as possible".

Safety measures, including stopping access to its underground ducts, had already been put in place by the company to "mitigate any immediate risk".

Openreach said it was working with communications providers to give alternative and temporary services to its impacted customers until it could access its underground cables safely.

More than 600 households in the area had been told to not drink the tap water because of "concerning results" showing "elevated" levels of hydrocarbons, which petrol is made from.