A pub owner in Bramley, a village near Guildford in Surrey, claims his business is suffering due to a water contamination problem that has led to a 'do not drink' notice being issued.
Hundreds of residents have been warned not to use their tap water after concerns linked to a historic fuel leak from a village petrol station.
Thames Water issued a 'do not drink' precautionary notice to 616 homes on Thursday, after elevated levels of hydrocarbons were detected during water sampling. Chris Hardstone, homeowner Julie Farmerhas been vocal about the issue, which he claims has been ongoing since 2021.
“In 2021, we had the smell of fumes coming out of our cellar — and that smell of gasoline was wafting into the bar,” said Hardstone, who runs the pub with his brother Steve. Despite the concerns raised, it took a long time for this issue to be properly addressed. Initially, the cause was incorrectly attributed to mold, but the real cause was eventually determined to be a fuel leak from a local gas station.
The contamination forced Jolly Farmer to close its accommodation division, resulting in significant business losses. “These issues resulted in us having to close our accommodation department, so we lost business there,” Hardstone explained.
Thames Water is responding by delivering letters and bottled water to affected properties and setting up bottled water stations. Tess Fayers, operations manager for Thames Valley and Home Counties, has reassured residents that the 'do not drink' notice is a precautionary measure and they are working to mitigate the risk by replacing sections of pipes on Horsham Road.
Waverley Borough Council is collaborating with Thames Water and other agencies to support residents.
An Asda spokesperson said: “We continue to work closely with Thames Water and other partners to address the issues we inherited following the acquisition of the Bramley PFS site. We recognize the impact this will have on Bramley residents and share their frustrations.”
He added: “We are committed to working with all parties to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.”
The MP for the regions, Councilor Jeremy Hunt, has described the situation as “unacceptable” and has written to Chris Walker, managing director of Asda Express, to express his concerns and ask the supermarket chain to support small independent shops and pubs on high streets that are suffering extensive damage to their homes. Daily trade.