Godstone

Work happening this week- w/c 10 November

This week we will be undertaking survey work on our 16" main, which is in the southbound carriageway in preparation for inserting a new pipe inside our existing one.

We will be inserting a CCTV camera into the main to ensure that there are no unknown obstacles that could prevent us from inserting a smaller diameter pipe inside it.

Excavation work will be outside Millenium House, and we endeavour to maintain access to Millenium House at all times - we will be speaking to the occupants when we get to site to discuss their requirements.

Work to replace the water mains

From 13 November we will start to replace the water pipes that were affected by the Godstone road collapse. This work can proceed now that we have been assured the ground conditions are safe and stable. Initially we will be excavating outside of the area barriered off by Surrey County Council to insert a new pipe inside one of our existing pipes which is currently isolated

We’ll work within this area between 7am-7pm, 7 days a week. This gives us the best opportunity to progress the work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

 

What this means for residents and businesses

As we carry out this work, we will minimise disruption by maintaining business and resident access wherever this can be done safely. We will do our best to reduce noise to a minimum outside of normal working hours. Our Customer Liaison Officer will be on site regularly if you have any queries you would like to talk through.

We are committed to completing the works as efficiently as possible working with Surrey County Council with the aim of having the road at least partially open by December. The works will continue until March at the earliest. This end date may change as it is subject to progress by the teams from Surrey County Council and other organisations who are involved.

 

Update on the Godstone road collapse

Following the road collapse that occurred on 17 February 2025 damaging three of our water pipes, we isolated all three pipes and re-routed water to affected customers.

Since then, we have undertaken specialist investigations to help understand the cause of the collapse and we have been working closely as part of a multi-agency response to this incident.

Update regarding the cause of the road collapse

We promised to update you on the findings on our specialist investigation which is now complete. We found that our pipes were in very good condition and there was no evidence of long-term leakage. This indicates that the root cause of the ground collapse was the presence of historic mines at the site, whose supporting pillars had failed due to erosion. This caused a loss of support from the ground around our main which consequently failed.

Here is a summary of the findings of our specialist investigation:

1. The mains pipes were in very good condition

2. Ordnance survey maps confirmed the presence of former open sand mines and mine entrances immediately opposite to the collapse site

3. Older or improperly filled mine workings beneath the road have settled or shifted over time, reducing support for the water main above

4. These conditions created an underground environment where the ground could settle unevenly and small voids could form, as the supporting pillars gradually weakened due to erosion

5. Pipe failure stemmed from pipe flexing due to lack of support once ground pillars collapsed

Therefore, whilst SES Water remains committed to completing the repairs to the site in conjunction with Surrey County Council as soon as possible, liability for this incident does not rest with SES Water.