Surrey Village Flooding Crisis: Housing Plans Spark Outrage

Residents of Alfold, Surrey, are raising urgent concerns over severe flooding and an inadequate sewage system, which they state the village "can't cope" with, particularly as two planning applications for new housing developments have been submitted. The village's existing pumping station, built in the 1950s, is now insufficient for its current population of 450 properties. This has led to sewage and water flooding gardens and homes, with Thames Water deploying tankers operating 24 hours a day to manage the excess flows.

Despite these critical infrastructure problems, developers Wates Developments and Thakeham are proceeding with proposals for between 100 and 900 new homes. Developers acknowledge the drainage issues but emphasize the "desperate need" for housing and plan to engage with Thames Water. Local MP Jeremy Hunt has described the situation as "extremely disruptive" and "defies belief" that further development is being considered while the existing system is failing, calling it a "challenging situation" for the community.