Thames Water issues urgent ‘do not drink’ warning to hundreds of Surrey homes

31 May 2024, 07:58

An urgent ‘do not drink’ notice has been issued to more than 600 homes in a village in Surrey following concerns over tap water tests.

Thames Water issued the notice to 616 homes in Bramley as a precautionary measure.

It comes after the water firm’s test results on the tap water indicated “a possible deterioration in quality in some areas”, Thames Water said.

It advised affected customers to avoid brushing their teeth and preparing food with tap water, even after it had been boiled.

The water can still be used to wash or flush the toilet, the firm added.

Extra tests have been regularly carried out on the water in Bramley following a fuel leak from the village’s petrol station in October 2023.

Test results on Thursday indicated high levels of hydrocarbons in the water, which are found in petrol.

Tess Fayers, operations director for the area, said bottled water would be delivered to the affected homes.

A spokesman stressed this was the first time problems had been detected. 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.

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“We are in the process of delivering letters and bottled water to the affected properties.

“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 Horsham Road to reduce the risk to our customers.”

It comes after earlier this month when thousands of people in Devon were told to boil their tap water before drinking it after a cryptosporidium outbreak.

The number of confirmed cases of the parasite outbreak has not reached 100, the UK Health Security Agency said on Thursday.