Road closed ‘for weeks’ to fix water contamination

Thames Water says roadworks will be in place in the village for several weeks

A main road has been closed in a village where over 600 households have been warned not to drink their tap water as engineers race to fix a leak.

Thames Water issued the advice to 617 homes in Bramley, Surrey, on Friday, after concerns the supply had been contaminated by leaks from a petrol station.

Repair work on the pipes had already begun but on Monday evening a section of Station Road at its junction with Horsham Road was closed.

The works are expected to be in place for several weeks.

A main road in the village was closed on Monday evening

Thames Water said it will be working around the clock to get the repairs carried out as soon as possible, with acoustic barriers installed to lessen the noise.

It believes hydrocarbons from petrol have contaminated the water supply.

Jane Austin, a villager who is also a member of Waverley Borough Council, said: “We’ve had these major barriers and three-way lights for a week, but this is going to step up this morning.

"It’s distressing for people to see our beautiful village in this state.

“If you go down the High Street, you can’t access the pavements, you can’t access the church, it’s difficult for children to get to school.

“This latest closure, we accept it’s absolutely necessary. We want them to just get on with it."

Bottled water is being handed out and delivered to residents of Bramley

David Haydon, head of regional networks at Thames Water, said: “Closing Station Road means we’re able to complete the work quicker than we first thought, so we’ll be able to do it in one phase.

“The current works outside the petrol station and Horsham Road, we’re looking at two to three weeks for that to be completed.

“But due to the contamination level in the ground and due to what is pretty much unknown when we are excavating, we are coming across very challenging situations and I think that will continue to adjust the timelines.”

Local people say traffic through the village has already been affected

Bottled water is being delivered to vulnerable customers, and a collection station is open at the Artington park and ride car park in Old Portsmouth Road, Guildford.

St Catherine's Independent School for girls has been arranging for deliveries out of rush hour.

Chief operating officer Chloe Stoneham told BBC Radio Surrey: "There's over 1,000 of us on site, that's no mean feat to supply an entire kitchen that's got dishwashers and cooking facilities.

"We've had tanker water supplies, we had one arrive last night as late as 10pm. They're trying to avoid adding to the traffic so they're staggering their supplies to avoid peak times."

John Dennison runs the Wheatsheaf Inn in Bramley

John Dennison, landlord of the Wheatsheaf Inn, said it is affecting his trade, especially his B&B operation.

He said: "You've got to make sure you've got enough bottles every day. That's a trip up the road in the traffic and a trip back held up in the traffic. The traffic only moves once every 10 minutes.

"You have to make sure you've got several bottles in every room because they have to use it not just for washing but also brushing their teeth and drinking."

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