Village given £500k after fuel leak disruption

Supermarket chain Asda is giving a Surrey village £512,000 after months of disruption caused by a fuel leak into the village water supply.

Earlier this summer residents at more than 600 homes in Bramley, near Guildford, were told not to drink their tap water.

Thames Water feared it could have been contaminated by fuel from a petrol station in the village and a ban on drinking or preparing food using the water lasted from May until July.

Jane Austin, the ward councillor for Bramley and Wonersh on Waverley Borough Council, said: "Reaching this deal with Asda has been a huge team effort from across the Bramley community following a very tough couple of years for us all."

Ms Austin said the money would be spent on "significant improvements" including Christmas lights, renovating a children’s playground and a contribution to the Bramley bonfire.

Villagers had been complaining about a fuel smell for two years.

The problem is believed to have come from a historic issue underneath the fuel tank, before Asda took over the petrol station.

It has also affected internet connections as provider Openreach said it was unsafe to do work with the underground cables if fuel was present in the ducts.

The supermarket chain has been working with Thames Water, the Environment Agency and Waverley Borough Council and recently reopened the petrol station and shop.

Helen Melia from the Bramley Residents Action Group said what the village needed was a plan to "clean up the petrol that's escaped off the petrol station into the subsurface of the village".

She added: "We then need works to be commenced straightaway and progressed expeditiously.”

Asda spokesperson James Barge said the "remediation plan is advancing" and that the supermarket was "committed to providing regular updates to the community".

"Added to that, our business support scheme and community support scheme will support local businesses and create benefit for the wider community over the long term," he said.

The company has also given vouchers to the 621 households issued with a ‘do not drink notice’.

Ms Austin added: "The work doesn't stop here - I will continue fighting for our village to ensure the clean-up of the fuel in the ground continues.

"Bramley is an amazing community and a fantastic place to live and we are looking forward to the future."

Godalming and Ash MP Jeremy Hunt described the agreement as “a hugely positive step forwards”.

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