Pipes being flushed in Bramley, Surrey but households told by Thames Water not to drink water

Pipes are being flushed out in a Surrey village as more than 600 households are told not to drink water from the taps.

Thames Water issued what it describes as a 'precautionary' advice on Thursday after unsafe levels of hydrocarbons were discovered.

It follows an historical fuel leak at a petrol station in Bramley near Guildford with the petrol entering into some of Thames Water's infrastructure.

The water that is being flushed out will be taken to a nearby sewage works for treatment.

For the customers affected, bottled water stations have been made available while the repairs take place.

Tess Fayers from Thames Water 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."

The water company added that work is taking place around the clock to replace the water main and to get supplies back up and running.

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."

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