Bramley Using Asda Compensation Money to Help Recover from a ‘Tough Couple of Years’

Published on: 14 Aug, 2025
Updated on: 15 Aug, 2025

The Asda Garage at Bramley

By Bartholomew Little

The Bramley community has already used most of the money given by Asda in compensation for the major disruption caused by last year’s fuel leak at its petrol station at Bramley crossroads.

More than £330,000 of the £512,000 has so far been directed to local projects and for reimbursement.

The community fund is managed by Bramley Parish Council’s newly formed “fund committee”, established to ensure the money is spent “fairly and wisely” in ways that “maximise the benefit to the village”. Several projects have already been completed, with further proposals under review.

Completed initiatives include the installation of canopies at Bramley infant school, an addition of a bakehouse at Gosden House School, contributions towards the extension of the Wey and Arun canals wildlife walk and the major refurbishment of Eastwood Road playground.

Lengthy road works requiring road closures and lane restrictions caused major disruption in the village.

The fuel leak, traced to the Asda petrol station on the high street in the spring of 2024, caused serious disruption affecting both residents and businesses. Access to the village and traffic flow was affected by road and lane closures which, in turn affected customer footfall to the village shops and businesses.

All manhole and inspection pit covers in Bramley had “DO NOT ENTER” warnings spray painted on them.

Telecommunications were also badly affected. Links to the internet were severed or reduced in speed and maintenance was made difficult because the possible build up of petrol fumes in inspection chambers.

And fuel leaking into the water supply meant more than 600 households, including local schools and businesses, were subject to a 35 day ‘do not drink’ notice in May 2024 issued by Thames Water.

Cllr Jane Austin (Con), a ward councillor for Bramley & Wonersh, described the fuel leak as a “surreal and shocking experience” and added that the village had also faced “reputational damage”.

Cllr Jane Austin

Despite the difficulties, Austin stated that there has been positive feedback regarding the allocations made so far: ‘The £512,000 has gone some way towards mitigating the harm to our village”.

Alongside the community fund, a separate business support scheme has been implemented to compensate businesses for losses incurred during the disruption, with subsequent lengthy roadworks rendering many local enterprises difficult to reach.

Asda initially presented the scheme as a way “to put businesses back to where they would have been if the fuel leak hadn’t happened”. However for many, the reality has been frustrating with a number of businesses receiving offers to settle at far less than the submitted claims.

Gill Longdon

Gill Longdon, of the Bramley Business Network, reflected: “In practice the small, and in most cases, independent businesses have had to go through a complex process with Asda’s appointed loss adjuster to register their claims.

“This has been demoralising for our businesses who suffered so much through no fault of their own.”

But Longdon highlighted the positive impact the community fund has had in promoting the village itself. She said: “The businesses are benefitting via the Asda community fund thanks to us being allocated an allowance to promote Bramley as a wonderful place to live, to visit, to raise a family and to do business.

“Bramley is friendly and family orientated in a beautiful setting… and we want to put the fuel leak behind us and celebrate Bramley now.”

Connectivity has also been an enduring problem for the Bramley community following the fuel leak, with residents and businesses experiencing poor, or no, internet connection for months.

So news last week that Openreach is proceeding with a ‘major broadband infrastructure upgrade’ in the village which will see around 2,500 homes and businesses supplied with the broadband technology, has been welcomed.

The work, which was originally scheduled for 2021, has been delayed because of the restricted access and safety issues.

Lord Stuart Rose, then chairman of Asda, and Jeremy Hunt MP at a public meeting held in Bramley Village Hall in July 2024.

Sir Jeremy Hunt MP welcomed the progress, saying: “I’m delighted to support Opennreach’s investment in Bramley. These upgrades recognise Openreach’s support for the wider Bramley community which is recovering from a very tough couple of years with the fuel leak.”

While Bramley has undoubtedly seen significant improvements since the difficult chapter of the fuel leak, Cllr Austin says that the fund “still has work to do”. She hopes that the fund and the work it has supported, will leave “a lasting legacy for the village”.