Newsletter - Mon 15 Jul, 2024
By David Grantham
Sewer work continues on Bancroft Road
Tanker operations under way, while blue fencing further up surrounds a trench
Thames Water’s roadworks, which have closed the left lane of Bancroft Road, look set to continue for a bit longer yet, and apparently until repairs can be completed by closing the whole road.
The work, which Thames says began on 22 June, is to fix a burst rising main (a waste water pipe).
Thames and Surrey County Council (the highways authority) haven’t responded to recent questions by Reigateuk about next steps. However, Thames has told a local business that it has applied to Surrey Highways for a permit to close the whole road.
Thames is also reported as saying that once it is able to access both lanes, the repair of the broken sewer main could be completed in perhaps as little as a week.
Some comments on social media say that Thames could close the road for a month, but utility companies often include some extra time in a permit application, just in case repairs take longer.
More news will follow when available, along with timing and published diversions, assuming Thames continues with its application and Surrey grants it. The Surrey roadworks map (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) can also be expected to be updated.
Linkfield Lane: zebra crossing proposed
You may remember that last September an adult and two children were in a collision with a car on Linkfield Lane, while crossing to St Joseph’s primary school. In response, Surrey is consulting on a proposal (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) to put in a new raised zebra crossing close to the school, near the red dot on the above map. To help the crossing work properly, some parking changes are also being put forward. Any comments need to be in by Thursday 25 July. (Map made using Google Maps.)
Outdoor theatre at Gatton Park
Gatton Community Theatre’s outdoor production of Setareh - A Journey to Remember continues with evening performances this week at Gatton Park, Thursday 18 - Sunday 21 July.
The theatre says: “This beautiful story of love, forgiveness and salvation, written and directed by Libby Egwuba, will lead you around the stunning parkland of Gatton Park alongside a group of travellers in search of a king.”
More details are on the theatre’s website (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), and the link for tickets is here (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Photos by Nigel Clifford
Creams opens in Redhill
To much acclaim on social media, dessert parlour Creams Cafe opened earlier this month at the council’s Rise development in Redhill town centre, alongside the Light cinema and Posadero Lounge. Creams has nearly 100 branches across the UK - details and opening times for Redhill are here (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
A24 work continues, as police investigate
Sections of the northbound A24 remain closed between Capel and Leatherhead, following a diesel fuel spillage on Tuesday last week (9 July), according to the Surrey roadworks map (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
Surrey Highways has also given the work its own project page (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) detailing which sections are all sorted, and expected timings on the remaining parts. All work should be done by 22 July.
Surrey Police said on Friday that it had launched a criminal investigation into the incident, with a man in his 60s interviewed “on suspicion of a number of offences, including criminal damage reckless to endanger life, failing to stop at the scene of an collision, dangerous driving and careless driving”.
Chief Inspector Chris Tinney said: “It is clear the damage caused to the A24, M25 and Cobham services has had a serious impact on our community.
“The effect on residents’ and commuters’ everyday lives whether it be school runs, caring responsibilities or trying to get to work cannot be understated. Our specialist Commercial Vehicle Unit is leading on this investigation and colleagues are working hard to understand the cause of [the] incident.
“If you were involved in a road traffic collision on Tuesday (9 July) morning and believe this was as a result of this fuel spill, or have any information in relation to this incident, please get in contact with us quoting PR/45240078112. We are particularly interested in any dashcam footage from the A24 that morning.
“Finally, I would like to make a plea for drivers to abide by the current road closures. We are aware of multiple deliberate breaches of the closures which could not only delay the resurfacing works but could also put those working tirelessly to get the road reopened at risk.”
Good roadworks news: gas repairs on the A25 near Reigate Heath finished ahead of expectations last week, and this weekend’s closure of the M25 at junctions 10-11, for the junction 10 upgrade project, finished seven hours ahead of target.
Art competition: Surrey is reckoned to be the most wooded county in England, and to celebrate trees a county-wide competition is running for children aged 4-11, who could have their artwork appear in the inside covers of a new children’s book, “The Thousand Year Tree”. The deadline is 4 September; details from the Surrey Hills Society are here (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) or in Surrey’s libraries.
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