Community Information Meeting

On the evening of Tuesday 13th February 2024 a community meeting was held at Bramley Village where an update was given on the fuel leak affecting the village.

110 residents attended along with EPS (Asda’s environmental consultants), a representative from ASDA, Jeremy Hunt MP and local councillor Jane Austin as well as other representatives including from the Environment Agency and Waverley Borough Council and local interested organisations.

EPS gave a presentation on the work undertaken so far and explained their plans for the upcoming clean-up operations. This was followed by a Questions and Answers session.

Although the fuel leak happened under a previous ownership ASDA have committed themselves to resolving the situation and this week they closed the forecourt for installation of equipment to start the remediation (clean-up) work - set for the beginning of March.

At the meeting:

• Residents described the impact this leak has had on the village and their concerns for health.

• Local businesses including the Jolly Farmer described the impact on trade and concerns about working for long periods in petrol fumes.

• Many residents described their anger and upset to see the decline in local wildlife and impact on the decimated river ecosystem.

• Questions were asked about whether the petrol tanks are now safe and sealed which EPS has to date confirmed that they are. EPS did state however that testing of pipework leading to the tanks undertaken on 13th Feb 2024 indicated there may be a fault/issue not previously identified. Councillor Jane Austin has chased EPS urgently and will provide updates asap.

• Residents also asked how and - and under whose ownership - this leak occurred and who would be held accountable. Would any party be prosecuted in the future? The strength of anger and frustration was palpable in the room.

• EPS stated that it will take months and possibly years to fully resolve and clean up the contamination in the soil although it is hoped that the major upcoming work on the petrol station should reduce the contamination and smell substantially.

Councillor Jane Austin spoke with EPS following the meeting to try and understand more about the reported faulty pipe discovered on Tuesday the 13th February during testing and it was confirmed that the pipe will not be used again and is to be replaced.

Jeremy Hunt MP and Councillor Jane Austin have a number of action points following the meeting which includes chasing up with the Environment Agency who are investigating this incident with a view to potential prosecution, and a meeting with Asda's senior management team.

Further updates will be follow as soon as new information becomes available from all stakeholders.