Bramley Road closed due to water safety warning due to fuel leak

A village struggling with a fuel leak at a petrol station that compromised water safety and created an underground explosion hazard has been told a road will be closed until repairs are completed.

Thames Water on Thursday urged more than 600 households not to drink their tap water after water samples were found to contain elevated levels of hydrocarbons.

The water company said that excavations to the pipes that need to be replaced are now half complete.

It was said that Station Road would be closed from June 4 for the duration of the work.

A Thames Water spokeswoman said: “While we carry out this important work, we are using special noise barriers to minimise disruption.”

“Station Road will be closed from Tuesday for the duration of these works. We are very sorry for any additional disruption this will cause. So there may be some disruption overnight and we will do our best to keep noise and additional disruption to a minimum.”

Bramley resident Evan Venn said residents were in “camping mode” and drinking bottled water.

He said the village’s biggest concern was ensuring the continuation of water supplies after some people were left without any.

“The traffic in this area will be terrible on Tuesday,” he added.

On Thursday, 616 households were told not to drink the tap water, use it for cooking or brushing teeth. Even if the water has been boiled, they are not allowed to use it for washing or to give it to their pets.

Thames Water said the water was safe for washing and flushing toilets.

Two bottled water stations will be open from 9am-9pm (BST) at Bramley Community Library (with no visitor access) and at Artington Park & ​​Ride in Guildford for those travelling by car.

Thames Water said it would also provide supplies to the affected properties.

The fuel leak came from a petrol station owned by Asda, with the company saying it inherited the problem when it bought the site.

Residents have been complaining about the problem since 2021 and Thames Water has been conducting additional water sampling since October 2023.

Thames Water said it would like to “reassure customers that the water in the village has been safe to drink until now”.