Update on fuel leak in Bramley, Surrey
18 August 2026
We continue to monitor our network in Bramley closely. Our environmental consultants are out every day, assessing the area so that our engineers can work safely.
You may have recently seen additional barriers in place, or that we've moved lids from our underground network to allow more air to flow through. The hot weather and lack of rain are having an impact, as evidenced by our monitoring. These actions have been taken to reduce risk and allow us to continue to provide a service.
If you have any questions, you can always contact us at: bramley-incident@openreach.co.uk.
3 February 2026
Our Full Fibre infrastructure build in Bramley is progressing well with a number of homes and businesses now able to order an upgraded service through the provider of their choice on our network. Please use the fibre checker on www.openreach.com to see if you're able to place an order.
11 August 2025
While progress on access to our network in Bramley continues, today we’ve announced that we’re proceeding with a major broadband infrastructure upgrade in the village.
We originally announced upgrades to the area’s ageing copper network back in 2021, but the fuel leak subsequently contaminated parts of our network and forced us to restrict access to its underground ducts for safety reasons.
Over the past 18 months, we’ve worked closely with environmental experts, local authorities, and safety specialists to manage the risks posed by petrol vapours in our underground network. We deployed vapour extraction units, conducted extensive safety assessments, and introduced strict new protocols to protect the public.
With these measures in place and the risk levels reduced, we recently reopened access to its underground network in Bramley, allowing its own teams and engineers from other companies (alt-nets) to resume build and maintenance work on their networks. This significant milestone in the recovery effort now paves the way for a transformative upgrade to the local network using ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband. More information on what this will mean for Bramley is available here.
Operational update
The previous exclusion zone has now been replaced by a contamination zone (image to the left). A strict safe system of safe working is in place for engineers from any telecoms company to access network in this area.
We are making progress with access to our network. The network is made up of two parts, an exchange side network, and a distribution side. Whilst vapour levels are still present and higher than we would like in the exchange side, on the distribution side they remain low. Both sides of the network still have contamination present.
On the distribution side of the network, whilst the vapour levels are low, we have managed to create a “strict safe system of working which has enabled us to access that part of the network. This has enabled the teams to work on the faults within the exclusion zone and we have been able to clear faults and open our provision appointment book.
We are still unable to access the other side of the network. However, new controls have been implemented and we continue to monitor the of vapours.
Whilst this shows progress, we are not back to business as usual. We will continue to monitor the vapours across our network regularly for the coming months, we will continue with the safe system of working, as long as the vapours remain low.
This does mean that we have moved to phase 2 of our roadmap in some areas, and we will continue to work on additional control measures whilst balancing a longer-term solution.
Background
It’s been widely reported that fuel leaked from the ASDA petrol station in Bramley for a period of at least two years – and that the fuel entered the local Openreach network, which serves homes and businesses with phone and broadband services.
As a result of the leak, petrol vapours in our underground network in Bramley have measured above the ‘Lower Explosive Limit’ which means for a while, it was unsafe for our engineers to access. They're now able to access some of the network using a safe system of work.
Naturally, we’re taking this very seriously and proceeding with extreme caution.
The safety of our engineers and the public is our number one priority.
We also understand the impact this is having on customers and local businesses, and we’re equally frustrated by this, so we’re working closely with all the relevant authorities and organisations involved to resolve the situation as quickly and as safely as possible.
How are Openreach services affected and what's being done to get back to normal?
Right now, we're able to carry out limited repairs and provision work.
We’ve worked closely with our service provider customers (the companies who use our network to provide retail broadband and landline services) to help them offer alternative and temporary solutions, as well as identifying and protecting any vulnerable customers affected.
More than 650 communications providers - the likes of EE, Vodafone, Sky and Zen - use the Openreach network so, if you're experiencing a problem with your service, it's possible all providers will experience the same issue.
What should I do if my phone or broadband isn’t working?
If your phone or broadband develops a fault, please report it to your service provider (the company you pay your bill to) and then contact us directly using the dedicated email bramley-incident@openreach.co.uk. We'll make sure we prioritise getting you back online as quickly as possible.
Service providers operate welfare processes to prioritise ‘vulnerable’ customers, so if you have an emergency alarm connected to your phoneline, it's particularly important that you report the fault to your provider. We also prioritise these cases and, if we can’t fix the issue straight away, will provide a temporary service wherever possible.
If you’ve already raised your welfare status with your provider but you’re still encountering service issues, please contact us directly at bramley-incident@openreach.co.uk.
In the meantime, we’re continuing to work through these cases and any supporting Critical National Infrastructure daily across areas including Wornesh, Chilworth and Blackheath. We ask for your patience as we complete these jobs whilst still prioritising safe working practices.
What if I don’t have an emergency care alarm?
If you’re not considered ‘vulnerable’ but you’re still experiencing service issues, we encourage you to speak to your provider about any alternative network solutions they can offer – for example, a mobile broadband dongle.
Whilst Openreach doesn’t operate or provide mobile services, we do recognise and appreciate that mobile coverage across Bramley isn’t universally strong, so we continue to engage with and encourage mobile operators to consider setting up additional masts and capacity, where possible – even if only temporarily.
If you’re a resident who only has a landline with no alternative way to make telephone calls – or if you have an urgent enquiry – please get in touch directly with Openreach at bramley-incident@openreach.co.uk and we’ll help you explore all possible options.
We have a dedicated team monitoring this inbox and we’ll always aim to share as much information we can at the earliest opportunity.
How long will this take to resolve?
This is a really complex incident, and the fuel leak is widespread.
We know that at least 300 metres of our underground duct in the area has been affected and cleaning it up will involve specialist equipment, processes and lots of detailed coordination amongst the affected organisations and relevant authorities.
We’re monitoring fuel vapour levels in our underground network regularly and the results of these tests continue to vary significantly.
Because of the complexity safety concerns, we’ve been advised that making our network safe and accessible could take at least 12 months, but we’ll continue to update our people, partners, customers and residents on this web page as work progresses.
For further updates from Waverley Borough Council, click here.
Information updated on 3 February 2026.
