600 homes in Surrey told not to drink tap water
Thames Water is carrying out tests due to a 'possible deterioration in quality'
Last updated 31st May 2024
More than 600 homes in a Surrey village have been told not to drink their tap water.
Thames Water say they are carrying out tests after results on Thursday (30 May) indicated "a possible deterioration in quality" of drinking water "in some areas".
A total of 616 houses in Bramley (GU5) have been given the "precautionary" instruction not to use their water supply for drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth but they can continue to use it to shower and wash hands.
It comes after the collection and assessment of drinking water in the village following a historical fuel leak from its petrol station.
Thames Water say the notice will remain in place while further investigations are carried out.
Bottled supplies are due to be delivered to affected properties.
On the 17th of May a ‘no drink notice’ was issued to St Catherine’s school in Bramley and since then Thames Water have been supplying them with bottled water.
Tess Fayers, Thames Water's 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."