Fuel leak clean-up to enter next phase in autumn

The next phase of work to clear up a fuel leak that contaminated a village's water supply is due to start in the autumn.

In May 2024, more than 600 homes in Bramley in Surrey were told not to drink tap water for five weeks following the fuel leak from an Asda petrol station.

Asda now says there is no floating fuel in any borehole in the village and the next phase of work will include targeted injection of hydrocarbon-reducing compounds.

Waverley Borough Councillor Jane Austin told BBC Radio Surrey this would "break down the petrol into its constituent parts" and that it would dissolve naturally over time.

In a constituency newsletter, Godalming and Ash MP Jeremy Hunt said some residents were concerned because remediation equipment had been removed from the petrol station forecourt.

"This is actually good news and means the clean-up is able to move on to its next phase, tackling dissolved contamination in the groundwater," he added.

Residents had been told the clean-up would take years, and Austin said the council had always been informed it would "take a number of years for the petrol to completely dissipate".

"It is distressing to think of the environmental damage that has been caused to our village and we are still dealing with the aftermath of the fuel leak," she added.

Austin said she was "cautiously optimistic" for the future as businesses in the area were "slowly recovering, but there's still work to do".

"We've got a long way to go," the councillor said.

Asda had paid the village £512,000 as compensation for the disruption.

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