Bramley Fuel Pollution

For all the latest information visit Waverley BC's website 

Latest Update from Openreach 23.10.24
SGN are continuing to vent in response to the gas leak, the lids on our network are off to allow this to happen. We have requested that the Technical Working Group (TWG) invite SGN to attend and provide regular updates.  There was still a smell of methane in the area on Monday 21st October.
This week the impact to customers service did rise to 244 end users, however we have been able to locate the issue and as it was outside our exclusion zone, a repair has been undertaken and will assist in stabilising service to end users. We also have 30 live faults that we are unable to access as they are within the exclusion zone.
The Nest coffee shop has confirmed that they are happy with the installation, and it is working well – colleagues were there on Monday and saw several people in there working on laptops.  We will now follow up with the library to get a unit in place there and consider other key locations in the area (ideas for locations welcome).
We have reviewed the exclusion zone and are now beginning to move to a new model.  Final control measures are being considered prior to this being adopted, the main principle will remain to keep our workforce safe, however this should allow us to gain access to review the faults we have in part of the current exclusion zone and work on solutions for those customers.
Next week, we have planned works for several cable chambers to be flushed, these are outside of the main exclusion zone however they should allow us to gain a view of the network via a camera into our ducts. This will require traffic management to complete the work, we are proposing that this will take place out of hours to minimise disruption to the local community.
The hoarding graphics are in progress, this week our site has been reduced temporarily to allow EPS access to work, once the site is back in place we will move forward with these.  I have attached a picture that the graphics will be based on. They will have Openreach Branding, a QR code to take you to our website and include the words 'Bramley is Open for Business'.
Any comments of feedback on this approach are welcome, as is the suggestion of a location for additional star link hubs.
A further update will be provided next week, thank you for your continuing support.

Bramley agrees Support Package with Asda

Please see below an update newsletter from Asda which we forward for your information. Hard copies of this update will be distributed by Asda through letterboxes in the coming days.

At the bottom of Asda's email you will see reference to compensation for businesses and residents so we take this opportunity to update you directly.

We are pleased to announce Asda has agreed to provide funding to support our Bramley community, totalling £512,500. This payment will take the form of donations towards a number of projects across the community as well as to our local fundraising associations.

We are finalising the finer details so more will be disclosed soon, but we take the opportunity to thank the councillors and community representatives who have met together to agree the proposed the list of items to be funded by this scheme and progress discussions with Asda.

We believe that agreeing the funds for our community is a fantastic result for our village and, while it will not take away the impact of the fuel leak, it does mean we will be able to facilitate positive outcomes across our community. The funding will go towards projects and organisations including our new Christmas lights and marketing of the village, refurbishment of Eastwood Road playground, our schools, the Four Villages Day Centre, other long overdue refurbishment and repairs in the village.

While we are delighted with the above, unfortunately discussions about payments to households have not progressed. Despite strong representation from Bramley Parish Council and local community group representatives, Asda has now indicated a final amount of £50 Asda voucher to each of those 621 households impacted by the drinking water restriction.

Bramley Businesses and schools are applying under a separate scheme. Under this scheme payouts are being processed with reference to a loss adjuster and the first payments are beginning to be made.

It is important to also to confirm there are no conditions attached from Asda in accepting the above. Agreeing to the community support payment does not preclude any individual or group from taking legal action against Asda or any other party in the future.

We will be issuing more detail in due course but in the meantime well done everyone,

Best wishes

Bramley Parish Council
Bramley Residents Action Group
Bramley Business Network
Bramley Village Society
Bramley Village Fete Association
Bramley Bonfire
Bramley Helping Hand

From ASDA - Update Newsletter - October 2024

EPS Remedial Roadmap – On Site Clean Up
Our Environment Agency approved remedial ‘treatment train’ strategy has been progressing well. The first stage involved using a series of pumps to recover a mixture of groundwater and fuel from beneath the petrol station and the immediate vicinity for separation and treatment. We have successfully reached a point where no more fuel is on the water table in any of our on-site boreholes and this has enabled us to move on to the second stage of the process, which went operational last week. This next stage uses vacuum pumps to extract petrol vapours from the ground and pull fresh air through the affected areas; the extracted air then being cleaned by passing through carbon filters. Early signs are showing this to be very effective.

‘What’s in the Box’ QR Code
A QR code will appear on the side of our remediation system in the next couple of weeks which will link to a 3D virtual tour of the remediation system, providing an explanation of the process and purpose of the various components. We hope you find it interesting!

EPS Remedial Roadmap – Off Site
At the last public meeting in July, we presented our Off-Site Remedial Roadmap – here’s an update on how each path continues to progress.

Controlled Waters Risk Assessment.
The Environment Agency have confirmed that they are satisfied with the progress being made with respect to controlled waters (groundwater and surface water) in line with the agreed roadmaps and positive discussions continue regarding demonstratable and sustainable risk based end-points for the clean up work. A lot of those discussions are based around the results of the groundwater sampling work from over 40 borehole locations which was undertaken across the summer to establish the extent of the impacts and understand which directions the groundwater could be flowing. The findings of that work have been encouraging, with affected groundwater being quite localised to the northern end of the High Street, but as we know, the situation and it’s impact was seriously complicated by the water table being at a very similar depth as various utilities that run down the High Street, which brought petrol into contact with things like Thames Water pipes and Openreach cable ducts, as well as getting into the road drains which connect directly onto the brook. Our hope was to use a public meeting to present and share the findings of that work with the village, in an accessible format that would be useful for everyone to understand the situation, but in the absence of a confirmed date, we will instead share that information with a follow up newsletter within two weeks.

Northern High Street / Connections ‘In Trench’.
Through a collaborative approach with Thames Water and their contractors, EPS were able to install six access chambers and connecting duct work within the pipe replacement trench as it was backfilled. Our thanks go to the efforts of all involved, as it enabled us to access ground which would otherwise have been extremely difficult to safely drill into, due to the number and density of utilities present. The ducting feeds back up to the petrol station, where a second remedial system will be located to deliver a very similar treatment system under an extension of current EA permit, combining groundwater pumping and vapour extraction. At the time of issue, it has not been possible to access two of the six remedial boreholes with an appropriate drilling rig, located within the area occupied by the Openreach contractors, but we sincerely hope to have this completed by the end of October so that we can get that second system up and running.

Land Northeast of High Street.
Throughout the summer of 2024, EPS drilled additional boreholes in land to the northeast of the High Street and manually recovered any floating petrol that was encountered. This process was very successful, and the latest monitoring visit confirmed that all floating fuel has been removed from our boreholes. We will continue to monitor our network and take further action where needed.

Southern High Street.
Our groundwater monitoring boreholes do not indicate any high impacts extending to the south of the pipe replacement trench, however it is clear that the petrol has used the gravel backfill around buried utility pipes and ducts to shortcut through the ground. This is why we consider it important to complete this section of the roadmap with exploratory trenches being opened within the footpath to enable inspection and sampling of the ground immediately surrounding those services and establish what else might need to be done for clean up. We have been working with specialist contracts and the council’s Highway department to establish a safe method to undertake this work and currently hope to complete within October. Our collaborative plans will require a section of the footpath to be closed for a few days but importantly, the intention is to avoid any road closures on the High Street.

Business and Community Support Schemes
As the above demonstrates, Asda takes its responsibilities incredibly seriously. We continue to be focused on remediation efforts and supporting local businesses and the community. Asda's Bramley Business Support Scheme is currently processing applicants with the first payments having been made. In terms of the community, in discussion with the Parish Council and others, Asda has also agreed to support a number of community schemes with a fund in excess of £500k. Finally, Asda recognise the disruption to the 621 households impacted by a loss of drinking water and will be issuing vouchers to the value of £50 in the coming weeks to those households.

James Barge
Senior Director Corporate Affairs and Communications
Asda House, Great Wilson Street, Leeds, LS11 5AD

Report from Jeremy Hunt re his and Councillor Jane Austin's meeting with the CEO of Openreach on 26th September
I know from your many emails and letters to me Bramley fuel leak continues to be a major issue. Some of you have no / poor telecommunications across a wide area and have been given an estimated fix date of the middle of 2025. So yesterday Bramley Parish Councillor Jane Austin and I met with Openreach CEO Clive Selley and his team including Michael Salter-Church (who attended the public meeting). Thanks to the whole team at Openreach for being open about how they are dealing with what is an unprecedented situation; they are facing numerous challenges like changing vapour levels and degradation of their cabling which is impacting network operations differently day-to-day.

Openreach has categorised this as a major incident on their network. To date 84 faults have been raised with a total loss of service and two-thirds of these have been repaired, which is encouraging news. The remaining faults (where identified) have been dealt with via provision of mobile dongles which have been in the main successful (but with exceptions).

In addition to this approximately 280 households are experiencing intermittent service, and these issues are being dealt with via the service providers which sit underneath Openreach as wholesaler (for example Sky, Talk Talk, Vodafone and BT).

One third of those with intermittent service are within the exclusion zone, so we know issues are impacting a high proportion of residents here. Openreach hope to be able to reduce this zone in the very near future which should unlock greater access to deal with some of these issues.

Given the changing situation Openreach have offered to step up their communications and will circulate a succinct weekly update which can be sent out via Bramley Parish council - plus an update leaflet to each household.

Finally, we flagged the request for hoarding of the work area in the centre of the village and Openreach agreed to action this urgently.

For more details and the latest updates please visit the Openreach website

Bramley Residents Meeting with Asda on July 16th - Report from Jeremy Hunt MP

Thank you to everyone who attended the Bramley fuel leak public meeting last night, the room was absolutely packed and because Chairman of Asda Stuart Rose and others were here we were able to make real progress. Summary below but key for me we got Asda for the first time to openly offer compensation which is much needed right now for struggling businesses.

Firstly, an update on the clean-up. Asda’s environmental consultants EPS described the location of the fuel plume south of the petrol station and outlined their plan to deal with respective sections of the High Street and immediate surrounds of the petrol station.

By the end of this week 50 boreholes to have been dug in the village centre in order to identify and monitor the amount of fuel latent in the ground and extract it.

Although to date up to 500,000 of litres of water have been treated by the on-site ‘pump and treat’ system, EPS could not confirm just how much petrol is in the ground or how much has been recovered (we know a minimum leak of 2,000 litres has previously been discussed).

It sounds like the programme of work is progressing at pace but, as Stuart Rose pointed out, if the team can be expediting this work every effort should be made to do so.

Colin Chiverton of the Environment Agency made clear the clean-up is anticipated to take a year at least as the fuel must be pulled slowly out from the ground to avoid further issues. Inhibiting factors including ongoing high groundwater and have not been helped by biblical rain we have seen this week!

Generally Bramley is seeing less evidence of fuel contamination, but the challenges will return as the groundwater rises once again in Autumn.

Openreach described some of the complexities they face including significant variability of levels of fuel vapour in their ducts, ensuring workers in their ducts are safe, and how they are unable to test connections because of concerns over explosivity risk. It’s clear the Openreach issue is impacting many people including the vulnerable over a wide radius and alternative ways to deliver telecommunications do need to be explored.

Thames Water having completed the main (and most disruptive) piece of pipe replacement work will be returning to complete localised pipe replacement in areas where they are unable to fully flush their system. This includes 4 roads - Clockhouse Lane, Mill Lane, old Rectory Close and Park Drive; further detail to be shared very soon.

Overall there is a great deal of work ahead and so importantly I secured a commitment from Stuart Rose to return in September to update us on the following 4 key actions identified:

1. Commitment from the many key stakeholders to improve communications, increase community involvement and to have representation from local people on the respective recovery groups.

2. Stuart Rose took away an urgent action to discuss with Asda’s Board (today) a system to agree how to support struggling local businesses via a quick compensation payment.

3. Openreach to help investigate how they can compress their work programme and look at alternative ways to restore the telecommunications network to those impacted.

4. We ran out of time to discuss fully at the meeting, but it’s really important Bramley residents now receive fuller advice about risk of long term exposure at low levels to benzene and other hydrocarbons from the UKHSA / relevant organisations.

Finally a huge thank you to Bramley residents who have mobilised and were simply fantastic last night. Local people working together, all donating their time and expertise to ensure Bramley is well represented and concerns are addressed. This is the work of many people including Councillor Jane Austin, Helen Melia, Bramley Parish Council and Bramley Residents Action Group.

 

Following the meeting of the Recovery Coordination Group (RCG) today please see below an update of the work in Bramley.

The Technical Working Group has also met this week and were able to report positive progress to the RCG.

Thames Water have confirmed that the do not drink notices has been lifted from Bramley Oak School and further testing is being carried out at Gosden House School. The situation is more complex at St Catherines. We are advised that the restriction of use will be lifted for the Prep School only. The rest of the school remains on an independent tanked supply while further investigation is carried out.

Openreach have advised that in the recent weeks, their focus has been on working in partnership with SCC Highways on the relevant street works permit requirements and are progressing with agreed changes to minimise any disruption to Bramley residents. These revised arrangements and set up will allow them to proceed with further testing and removing petrol vapour from the Openreach underground network, as of next week. At present, testing of vapour concentrations by expert contractors continues to find unsafe levels in their infrastructure in the area serviced by the Bramley Exchange. Given this, no engineering work can be undertaken at present – they are closely monitoring any service impacting faults and engaging with service providers to provide alternative and temporary network arrangements when required. If any residents have any concerns or queries, please feel free to contact [email protected]

Asda and their consultants are refining their off-site remediation plans with the Environment Agency and are revising their 3D modelling of water table levels and possible extent of contamination on the basis of borehole sampling results.

Waverley BC will be meeting with businesses again on 16 July to further understand the impact on businesses and explore what support might be offered to businesses going forward.

A Public Meeting is being held at the Bramley Village Hall at 6.30 on Tuesday 16 July.  Representatives from Asda, Thames Water and Openreach will be attending along with representatives from the Environment Agency and Waverley Borough Council. Asda’s Chairman, Lord Rose will chair the meeting and Asda will give a presentation on the work they have been doing and their evolving off-site remediation plans. Thames Water and Openreach will also give an update on progress with the work they have been doing. 

Public Meeting re Fuel Leak organised by Asda for Bramley residents - Tuesday 16th July 6.30pm at Bramley Village Hall

Speakers to include

• Asda - Stuart Rose
• Jeremy Hunt MP
• EPS - Enviromental Consultants to Asda
• Richard Homewood - Chair of the recovery group at WBC
• Thames Water
• BT Openreach 
• Q & A

We expect an update on the progress and details of the next phase of the clean up. Please do attend and come and ask questions.

Bramley Residents Action Group (BRAG) has been formed following a catastrophic leak of petrol from the petrol station in Bramley village. The leak caused petrol to migrate off site into the ground, groundwater and stream in the centre of the village.

 

BRAG aims to achieve the following goals:

👉🏼 Remediation of Bramley Village 

👉🏼 Being a voice for Bramley residents 

👉🏼 Understanding and communicating the impact of the fuel leak on our village.  

The aim of this group is to communicate updates from the BRAG committee. 

BRAG Updates - Bramley Resident Action Group

We have a few ‘teething problems’ with the BRAG email so for the moment I thought I’d use our social media to reply to some questions we’ve been asked in emails.

We will respond individually as soon as we can to those who have taken the time to email us.

1. The very good questions/observations raised about the Thames Water #bramley water test results have been forwarded to Thames Water for comment.

2. Q: As fuel is still leaking into the stream could this indicate that Asda have not resolved the leak?

A: Asda have told us that they have stopped the #bramleyfuelleak on site, carried out some works on the #bramleypetrolstation and installed some equipment on the site to clean up the petrol station itself.

The #petrol that has already moved off the filling station is still under the village - we haven’t been told how much petrol escaped or where it’s gone.

Waverley Borough Council and Asda have so far not provided a map showing where they think the petrol has gone. All we were told at the #bramley community meeting in February was that it had likely headed down the High St and into the stream (#bramleywater). How that ties in with #fuel permeating the mains water pipes in Station Road, that is a question for Asda, Thames Water or Waverley BC.

3. If and when Thames Water publish further #bramleywater test data, BRAG will publish it here and in the WhatsApp group.

4. Q: What goals have Asda and the Environment Agency set to clean up the remaining fuel underground?

A: A very good question. We would welcome comments from the Environment Agency, Asda, Waverley BC on this.

5. Q: Given that 100% removal is not feasible, what is the goal and how will the Environment Agency and the local authorities measure success? Where will these data be published?

A: More great questions on which we would welcome comments from Waverley BC, the Environment Agency Asda BT Thames Water Surrey County Council.

6. Q: Does BRAG have data that explains the spread of fuel contamination underground?

A: No.

BRAG has not been given any information by the parties involved as to how much petrol has escaped off the #bramleypetrolstation or how much fuel has gone into the soil, groundwater, mains water pipes, BT phone line channels etc in #bramley, or where it’s gone to.

7. Q: Have you had sight of a geologist’s report to explain how the fuel has spread underground?

A: No we have not been given sight of any geological or environmental reports commissioned by the companies involved in this.

8. Q: Please can I ask that you publish the minutes of all BRAG meetings?

A: BRAG is a campaign group, set up to combine efforts to

a. amplify the current local concerns about the petrol leak and its impact on the village and

b. push for the remediation of Bramley, in the hope that it will prompt action from the authorities and companies involved; and

c. to disseminate information about the situation to the local community.

We don’t have formal meeting minutes that we are able to publish.

9. Q: Can we see any progress reports from TW or the EA?

A: No sorry - BRAG has not been given any information by the Environment Agency.

BRAG has shared the test results received from Thames Water and provided an illustration to show approximate locations of the three postcodes where the water in a property was found to come hydrocarbons.

BRAG has not received any progress reports from Waverley BC or Surrey CC.

10. Q: Please also pass on all your answers to Bramley Parish Council who may want to pass it on residents via Bramley Update.

A: We do add BRAG posts to the Bramley Update and Bramley (Surrey) Community Noticeboard facebook sites.

When we are able to respond to your email, we will copy the Bramley Parish Council Clerk.

11. Q: I am not a regular user of social media but what I have seen has lacked solid information and data. I’m sure you know that community trust is vital to all our efforts to resolve this issue. If BRAG communicates everything to the residents and allows all individuals to decide what is relevant to them, that will go a long way to restoring that trust.

A: BRAG has shared the information it’s been given by Thames Water on its social media.

BRAG has been asking questions of Surrey CC Waverley BC Asda and Thames Water. We will continue to ask questions and obviously share any information we receive. At the moment we are not being given any information.

We are hopeful that one of our team will be permitted to join a meeting with Waverley BC next week about economy and recovery of Bramley businesses along with representatives from local businesses.

Finally, the BRAG team all live in Bramley and are giving our time voluntarily to this campaign in the hope that it will prompt the local authorities, the EA and the companies involved to get Bramley remediated. That’s our goal.

👍 Follow and Like our account on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560890394125

📧 Contact us at [email protected]

💻 Join our WhatsApp Group for admin only updates - https://chat.whatsapp.com/BiKpKx3FsCgAKEaTJDaZRc

🎥 Please direct all media enquires to our email above.  

Thank you 💕

Together, we can help Bramley recover.

 

 

Thursday 30 May 2024, 20:30pm

Thames Water issues do not drink tap water notice to 616 Bramley properties (GU5, Surrey) Please see here for effected properties map - Water stations are now set up at Bramley Library and Artington.

• Thames Water is today (Thursday 30 May 2024) introducing a precautionary ‘do not drink’ notice to 616 Bramley households.
• The company has been carrying out additional water sampling in Bramley since October 2023, following a historical fuel leak from the village petrol station.
• The do not drink tap water advice follows results received today indicating elevated levels of hydrocarbons.
• The notice means 616 residents are asked not to use their water supply for drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth - customers can continue to use the water to shower and wash hands.
• Letters and bottled water will be hand delivered to those affected properties over this evening and tomorrow morning.

Thames Water has been regularly collecting and assessing drinking water samples in Bramley, following a historical fuel leak from the village petrol station.

It has issued ‘do not drink’ advice as a precautionary measure, following test results received today which indicate a possible deterioration in quality in some areas.

Thames Water would like to reassure its customers that the village water supply has been safe to drink up to this point, as confirmed through its rigorous water testing, which has also been subject to regular review working alongside UKHSA throughout this period.

The ‘do not drink’ advice will remain in place while further investigations are carried out. During this time Thames Water’s customers are advised:

• Don’t drink the tap water or give to pets.
• Don’t prepare or cook food using tap water.
• Don’t use tap water to brush your teeth.
• Don’t use tap water even after boiling.
• Can use tap water to wash.
• Can use tap water to flush the loo.

 

Tess Fayers, 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 to affected properties and will be delivering bottled water to the village. 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 the High Street to reduce the risk to our customers”

Thames Water will continue to carefully assess the situation through its monitoring programme and will work with public authorities, including UKHSA and Waverly Borough Council.

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 in Bramley, having acquired the Bramley petrol station site We recognise the impact this has had on the residents of Bramley and are committed to working with all parties to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.”

UKHSA health advice

The UKHSA has issued the following advice regarding hydrocarbons in drinking water:

• When ingested drinking water with hydrocarbons present may lead to nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, however low levels of exposure are not expected to cause long term health effects.

• Levels of hydrocarbons that can cause such symptoms would usually make the water unpalatable to drink so symptoms are unlikely.
• If residents have any symptoms or health concerns which include irritation to the eyes nose and throat, cough, a hoarse voice and breathing difficulties, it is recommended that they visit their GP or contact NHS 111.
• If anyone is concerned that their drinking water has a hydrocarbon “petrol like” odour or if there is any other aesthetic concern with their water, please contact Thames Water’s customer centre on 0800 316 9800 so we can investigate further.

Notes to editors

• The latest advice follows a ‘no drink notice’ issued to St Catherine’s school in Bramley on the 17 May 2024.
• Since this date Thames Water has been supplying the school with bottled water and alternative water sources to keep the kitchen operational.

ENDS

 

About Thames Water 

Update from Jeremy Hunt MP 24th May 2024

Councillor Jane Austin and I have just come off a call with Thames Water (TW) management because TW wanted to ensure you are all informed of significant upcoming work in the centre of Bramley. Following on from the news last week St Catherine's school has a temporary stop notice placed on the drinking water, TW will be replacing a mains water pipe close and a valve close to the petrol station. This is going to be very disruptive, but TW is rightly responding urgently to an issue not of their making. 

Work will start on site tomorrow and is to be split into two phases:

▶Phase 1 - closure of North-east quadrant - replacing 60m of pipework on the A281 running north from the roundabout - timescale 4 weeks, then
▶Phase 2 - closure of South-east quadrant - replacing a valve located near to the war memorial - timescale 4 weeks. 

🚦Traffic management 🚦

I attach draft traffic management plans submitted to SCC - these may be subject to variation, but TW wanted you to see them ahead of the work commencing. 

In summary, this means:

▶Thames Water will start to set up their works to replace a section of the water main in Horsham Road (A281) and one of their valves on Station Road.
▶The traffic management will start to be set-up tomorrow. This will take a few days because of the extent of the area that needs to be worked in.
▶Because of the challenging ground conditions and the need to pump water out of the excavations the work will be carried out over two phases as described above. 
▶The teams' hours will be 7am-7pm, 7-days a week until completion.
▶Three way traffic lights will be in place for the A281 and the junction with Station Road
▶The traffic management will be manned on-site 7am-7pm so the traffic light phasing can be adjusted as required to assist the flow of traffic.
▶Access to Snowdenham Lane from the roundabout will be closed off for the duration of the work. A diversion route will be put in place via Foxburrow Hill Road.
▶Crossing points for pedestrians will be put in place for the duration of the work. ▶The Zebra crossing on Station Road will be maintained.

Thames Water and BT Openreach are investigating whether the work of both parties can be safely undertaken in Phase 2, to minimise disruption time for Bramley residents. 

This is going to be yet another difficult challenge for Bramley residents but also everyone who uses the A281, but I hope you all agree the work is necessary and urgent.  Thank you for your ongoing patience on this issue. 

I am being updated constantly via all stakeholders involved and will do everything I can to help this process. 
Jeremy

Update 18th May 2024

NOTICE OF MEETING
For Bramley residents only
22nd May 6-7pm
Bramley Village Hall
 
Asda Express MD and senior management will be attending and would like to update you on progress with fixing the fuel leak, but most importantly what has caused the leak. EPS, Asda’s environmental team will also be present to answer questions. The meeting will be chaired by Jeremy Hunt MP and Bramley WBC Councillor Jane Austin.
 
Please see below update on latest developments:

1. As above, the cause of the leak has been identified. Asda would like to update you themselves on this - please attend.
2. BT Openreach has issues with fuel in their drainage system (you may have seen fire brigade called to site) and so the drains on the High Street have been cordoned off and left open. This is so any fuel vapour is allowed to release and does not collect. Environmental specialists are working on how to remove the fuel safely.
3. A temporary precautionary stop notice has been placed on drinking water at St Catherine’s school. Please see below a statement below from Thames Water on water quality and testing across the village. More information including an updated advice note for Bramley residents expected early next week.
4. Bramley residents may already be aware that comprehensive analysis and testing has been going on throughout Bramley for many months now; water quality testing by Thames Water and borehole fuel testing by EPS. Please see below the latest update from Asda (and their consultants EPS).

Finally, we want to reassure you of the massive team effort going on behind the scenes on this issue. We are all working together - Cllr Austin, Jeremy Hunt MP, Bramley Parish Council, St Catherine's School, Asda, EPS, Thames Water, WBC's Environmental Team, Openreach, the EA, UK Health Security Agency and Surrey Trading Standards Officers. This is everyone's top priority to ensure everything is being done for Bramley Village to resolve these issues.
 

Statement from Thames Water:
“Health and safety is our number one priority. We have been regularly collecting and assessing drinking water samples in Bramley village, following a fuel leak from the nearby petrol station.  
We have issued precautionary advice on drinking water at St Catherine’s School. We will be supplying the school with bottled water during this time and tankers will be available to replenish supplies. Our teams are working hard to identify a long-term solution. 
We will continue to assess the situation through our monitoring programme, and these results are being shared with public authorities including UK Health Security Agency and Waverley Borough Council’s Environmental team.
We are testing water samples in our own laboratory which have ISO17025 accreditation. Drinking water in the village remains safe.”
 

Statement from Asda:
"Since we took ownership of the site, Asda’s commitment to resolving the issues faced remains undiminished. EPS and Asda have continued to hold regular talks with regulatory bodies and other stakeholders to develop a shared understanding of the situation and deliver meaningful solutions going forward. As part of that, we want to ensure that the community has a clear picture of the situation as it evolves. To that end, we look forward to updating the community directly next Wednesday evening.
In the meantime, we want to confirm that all fuel was removed from the tanks and lines in early March to allow Asda’s specialist forecourt contractors to inspect and upgrade tanks, lines and the interceptor. EPS’ remedial system was commissioned in early April and it is suggested that we have already recovered fuel in the ‘hundreds of litres’, although it is difficult to calculate exactly at this stage. The treatment system is operating as hoped and EPS work closely with Thames Water to ensure the discharge meets their incredibly stringent criteria. Groundwater quality will also continue to be assessed on the forecourt and across the village in line with the remediation monitoring plan agreed with the Environment Agency. We also continue to monitor the stream and maintain our booms. The amount of fuel being collected by the booms has reduced considerably through April and May, despite periods of heavy rainfall.
In terms of the site itself, it remains on track to re-open in the coming weeks. We would not re-open the site unless we were utterly confident that the tanks, lines and related infrastructure were secure."

Update from Councillor Jane Austin 8th March 2024

Residents continue to experience terrible fuel smells across the village and signs of fuel in our village stream - pollution made worse by heavy rainfall in recent weeks. In addition Bramley residents have faced weeks of traffic jams caused by the fuel leak; major High Street work and long delays to road / drain repairs both because of concerns about fuel in our drainage system.
 
Community Meeting
On 13th Feb over 110 residents attended the community information meeting. Thanks to everyone who came - the strength of feeling about this pollution was clear in the room, which we believe has contributed to Asda's decision to close the site. The Asda forecourt and store are closed for 8-10 weeks to enable extensive work to be completed, as detailed below.

In the meeting it was confirmed the amount of fuel leaked is estimated at 2,000 litres+.
 
Following the meeting, Jeremy Hunt MP and Councillor Jane Austin followed up with queries to Asda, EPS environmental consultants and the EA.
In a major development this week, Asda confirmed to Jeremy that they have seen reference to fuel in the ground from September 2021 via a draft geo-environmental report which mentions 400mm of petrol on the groundwater.  As Chris and Steve Hardstone of the Jolly Farmer pub can attest, the first signs of this leak were way back in Autumn 2021.
As we now know, petrol is sitting under the forecourt and is travelling from the petrol station downhill, using the drainage systems as a conduit. Fuel is exiting into the village stream and contaminating it, decimating the local ecosystem. Fuel vapours continue to travel also. Further investigation is underway but we still don't know exactly how the fuel leaked into the ground.
 
It is however now clear that for many months Bramley residents were not listened to - they were repeatedly told that the smell was due to a failed tank on the forecourt or run-off from the road. It is a scandal that it has taken 2 ¼ years for us all to reach this point.
Asda employed remediation (clean-up) consultants EPS last year and have been complying with their environmental responsibilities. EPS have put in place a comprehensive clean-up programme. The first phase of this was in January when extensive work was undertaken on the High Street by Thames Water to install an impermeable barrier water pipe so two houses no longer have a fuel-contaminated water supply.
The petrol station forecourt was closed on 12th Feb 24 in order to install equipment for the next phase of clean-up. EPS took this opportunity to undertake testing on the tanks and fuel lines - a pipe fuel line leading to Tank 2 failed the pressure test. This same pipe was tested a year ago and passed.
Following confirmation of this failed test Asda has now requested further analysis of the 'test and fuel' data held by the testing company, GVR. Asda say "This further analysis will identify if there are any losses between the point of discharge from the petrol tanker into the underground fuel tank. By analysing the volume discharge by the tanker versus the detected volume change in the tank, GVR can detect any losses during the fuel's passage through the inlet pipe" (i.e. the pipe which failed the test). "GVR commenced this analysis last Monday."
In addition to the planned remediation (clean up) work, there will be major forecourt refurbishment and renewal work undertaken. This includes replacement of all pipework, inspection and potential replacement of all pumps, tanks cleaned and checked for defects and replacement of gauges, chambers and valves. The clean up element of the work should remove the majority of the contamination on the petrol site itself and I believe Bramley residents will be relieved to learn of the additional work Asda is undertaking.
We know there is sadly no quick fix to getting this fuel out of the ground - it may take months / over a year to be finally resolved.
Turning now to the investigation and potential prosecution by the Environment Agency the EA responded to say "we continue to progress our investigation into the significant groundwater pollution incident at Bramley which is examining potential offences under the Environmental Permitting Regulation."
 
It is important to note that under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 the responsibility for cleaning up contaminated land is generally the person who caused the contamination. However, if the individuals or companies that caused it cannot be identified, then the responsibility will fall to the current owner or occupier of the land.
I will of course keep you updated on any developments including meetings arranged with Asda and the EA.
 
Thank you for your continued support and patience; please do let Councillor Jane Austin know of any other issues or if the adsorbent barriers need replacing so she can make WBC's environmental team aware.

Community Information Meeting Tuesday 13th February 2024

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.

For further advice and information please look at the attached documents below

Background to Fuel Pollution

Reports of fuel smells and evidence of fuel in the stream, especially following heavy rainfall have been reported over the last few months. Both Jeremy Hunt MP and Jane Austin our local councillor have been pressing both the Environment Agency (EA) and Waverley Borough Council's Environmental Team for an update on investigations.

We have now received an update from the EA and Waverley Borough Council following their recent meeting with EPS Limited - the petrol station owner's environmental consultants. They have confirmed that there has been gross contamination of soils/ground water by petrol under the petrol filling station.

Over the past few weeks EPS Limited have been piloting/trialling options to determine the most appropriate remedial options to remove and treat the contamination and clean up the petrol station.

You may have seen that a boom has been placed across the stream to adsorb any surface water contamination going downstream and this is being monitored. EPS are undertaking further investigations, including drilling more boreholes to understand where product may have migrated to off site and the extent of this off site contamination.

EPS have produced two reports on the results of their investigation PDFs of which can be found below.

This is an incredibly important issue for all of us and we need to understand what is happening. The Parish Council will continue to press for information and answers for our village and for the situation to be addressed and appropriately remedied as soon as possible.