Hundreds of homes in Bramley, Surrey, issued 'do not drink' notice by Thames Water

021123 THAMES WATER
A stock image of a Thames Water branded glass. Credit: PA

616 homes in Surrey have been told not to drink their tap water by Thames Water.

The supplier has warned households in Bramley, just south of Guildford, that their water contains higher levels of hydrocarbons, making it unsafe.

Customers should not use their water supply for drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth, but they can continue to use the water to shower and wash hands.

The company said it will be delivering letters and bottled water to affected properties throughout this evening and tomorrow.

Thames Water has been regularly collecting and assessing drinking water samples in Bramley, following a historical fuel leak from the village petrol station.

The area in force where Thames Water says households shouldn't drink tap water. Credit: Thames Water

Today's testing showed a 'possible deterioration in quality in some areas', but the company insists the water was safe up until this point.

Tess Fayers, Operations Director for the Thames Valley and Home Counties said: “We are asking 616 Bramley properties not to drink the tap water following recent water sampling results.

“The health and safety of our customers is our number one priority, and we would like to reassure residents that this is a precautionary measure. We are in the process of delivering letters and bottled water to the affected properties.

"We are also identifying locations to set up bottled water stations, and we will share this information with our customers as soon as possible.

“We are already on site in the village, proactively replacing sections of our pipes on Horsham Road to reduce the risk to our customers.”

A Waverley Borough Council spokesperson, said: “We are working closely with Thames Water and other agencies to try and mitigate the impact on residents, and we will support residents wherever possible.”

An Asda spokesperson said: “We are continuing to work closely with Thames Water and other partners to address the issues we inherited after acquiring the Bramley PFS site. We recognise the impact this has had on the residents of Bramley and share their frustrations. We are committed to working with all parties to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.”