Thames Water has lifted its Do Not Drink Tap Water notice to 618 properties in Bramley, Surrey, which was put in place following a historical fuel leak at the Asda Express forecourt in the village.
The water company said it had replaced a section of pipework near the petrol station on Station Road to prevent contamination of supplies and since then water samples from over 100 properties in the area, hadcome back clear.
Thames Water said: “At all times we have worked closely with the UK Health Security Agency which has confirmed our testing regime met all the required standards, so it is also happy for us to lift the Do Not Drink advice.
“The Do Not Drink advice will remain in place at Bramley Oak Academy, St Catherine’s and Gosden House Schools as we need to carry out further testing at these locations. These schools have complex internal piping which is why it is taking longer but the water to homes is safe to drink.”
As a result, the company has stopped deliveries of bottled water.
It said the removal of the petrol is the responsibility of Asda, which has employed specialists to carry this out. In its statement, Thames Water continued: “However, to remove the risk of further contamination in the future, we have taken the decision to replace some more pipes in Bramley on some of the smaller roads. We will start our investigation work next so we can ensure all the work is carried out safely and efficiently but there will not be the level of disruption seen in recent weeks. We will write to households near this work with details in due course. We will also continue to carry out sampling tests to ensure we are keeping a close eye on the water quality in your area.”
An Asda spokesperson commented: “Whilst we are pleased that drinking water restrictions in Bramley have now lifted, we wholeheartedly recognise the impact this situation has had on residents and businesses and share their frustrations. Since we took ownership of the site, we have been transparent in setting out the steps to remediation, both for the site itself and the wider village. Given the complex and evolving nature of the situation, we have continued to work proactively with other stakeholders as information becomes available, to assess the most appropriate next steps to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.”
