Skip to content

Businesses fear Dorking sinkhole will damage trade

Julia Gregory / BBC Paul Harman stands in the middle of West Street in a pink and blue striped shirt. On the left are roadworks. A few people are strolling down the street, which has shops and old buildings.Julia Gregory / BBC
Paul Harman said he feared repair works could still be in place in the run-up to the Christmas period

Business owners are worried a sinkhole which appeared in a Dorking road is damaging trade.

It first appeared in West Street - home to many of the Surrey town's antique shops - on 30 August, and has since been investigated by Thames Water.

It means the road has had to be closed to traffic while urgent repairs are done and traders fear it could be weeks before it reopens.

Thames Water said engineers were currently surveying the site to plan out repair works.

Julia Gregory/BBC A shop window in West Street, Dorking, with A4 pages printed off to spell out the word open.Julia Gregory/BBC
Businesses are concerned about the impact on passing trade

Paul Harman who runs Harmans, an interiors shop on the street, said it had caused "carnage" and the lack of traffic had impacted passing trade.

“When [shoppers] are going along they look in the shop windows and see things in shops and stop... but we are getting no passing trade whatsoever," he said.

West Street businesses say trade has dropped due to the closure

Glyn Elias has been at the Dorking Desk Shop for 50 years, but said West Street was the quietest it had ever been.

He restores antiques in his workshop and said customers were unable to drop items off easily currently.

Meanwhile Basil Doha, who runs Mullins Coffee Shop on the street - which is opposite the sinkhole - said it had caused him to lose passing trade, as well as regular shoppers.

Julia Gregory / BBC Basil Doha sits in Mullins Coffee Shop in a shirt, looking straight at the camera. Behind him is a large window and the street and roadworks can be seen outside.Julia Gregory / BBC
Basil Doha said the issue "started with a dip and developed into a big sinkhole"

Monica Draper, who runs Monica’s Deli, encouraged customers to visit despite the road closure.

"[People] can still come to Dorking, because there are other ways to get to the car park and they can still come and see us," she said.

Last week, Surrey Highways said the sinkhole resulted from the failure of a surface water line, stretching for about 50m (164ft).

JULIA GREGORY/BBC Barriers around the sinkhole on West StreetJULIA GREGORY/BBC
Thames Water said representatives would contact businesses to advise them how to apply for a loss of business claim

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Due to the pipe's location, we are also working with the local council to agree traffic management measures, so that our teams can safely carry out the repair."

It added that it was "sorry" to residents, businesses and drivers affected by the works.

In a letter to Thames Water, Chris Coghlan, the Lib Dem MP for Dorking and Horley, said the street was a "critical part" of the one-way traffic system through the town.

"You will appreciate that every day of delay is causing significant stress and material economic damage," he added.

Mr Coghlan urged the firm to confirm when repair works would begin, and when the road was expected to reopen.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.

More on this story
Related internet links