Surrey businesses fear going bust after sinkhole along high street

Businesses in a town in Surrey say they might have to close for good after a sinkhole drove some customers away.

West Street in Dorking has been much quieter than usual for weeks after work began to repair the hole which closed several roads.

It's understood the sinkhole was caused by a faulty pipe which Thames Water says it is working hard to repair.

An initial investigation showed a leak at the site of the sinkhole which spread to affect much of West Street.

Two weeks later, neighboring roads Church Street and North Street also closed for the same repairs.

Since then Thames Water has said "more defects than previously expected" were discovered by engineers but it won't be ready for cars until mid-November - leaving businesses surrounded with roadworks for four months.

Local businesses say they're desperate to keep customers coming through the doors - especially in the run-up to Christmas and Halloween.

Surrey County Council, alongside businesses, are urging people to continue to visit the high street and support local shops.

A spokesperson for Thames Water said: “Our engineers continue to carry out urgent repair work to a damaged surface water sewer pipe on West Street.

"Given the complexity of the repair, we expect to continue working here until mid-November, with our engineers on site from 8am to 8pm to help speed up the process."

The water company added it's "very sorry for the disruption caused to local people and businesses."

A simplified loss of business claim form has been introduced for local companies to fill out to manage the disruption.

They said: "We've reassured businesses that they don't need to wait for our works to be over and can begin the process right away. We will work with these businesses closely and expedite these claims where we can."

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