Openreach has announced that it is proceeding with a major broadband infrastructure upgrade in Bramley, Surrey, after a prolonged period of disruption caused by a fuel leak from a local petrol station. The company originally announced upgrades to the area’s ageing copper network back in 2021, but the fuel leak subsequently contaminated parts of its network and forced Openreach to restrict access to its underground ducts for safety reasons.
Over the past 18 months, Openreach has worked closely with environmental experts, local authorities, and safety specialists to manage the risks posed by petrol vapours in its underground network. It 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, Openreach 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.
Openreach’s new network will deliver Full Fibre to around 2,500 homes and businesses across Bramley, both inside and outside the previously restricted area. The network will be far less prone to service issues caused by extreme weather and environmental impacts, making it a future-proof solution for the community’s connectivity needs.
Andy Whale, Openreach’s Chief Engineer, said: “This has been a really frustrating situation for residents and businesses in Bramley, but we now see some light at the end of the tunnel. We want to turn a bad situation good by not just repairing and restoring the damaged network that exists today, but by building something much faster, more reliable and longer lasting. This Full Fibre upgrade is a long-term investment in Bramley’s future, supporting local people and businesses to move on from the disruption with a network they can rely on for decades. We hope it’ll help the local community and economy to recover, grow and thrive in a digitally connected future.”
Rt Hon Sir Jeremy Hunt MP commented: “I’m delighted to support Openreach’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. Openreach’s ongoing commitment to Bramley is commendable and I would like to offer my personal thanks for the service the team have provided to address and resolve significant consequences of the fuel leak – a situation not of their making. Openreach enabling access to reliable and high-speed internet will bring substantial benefits to both residents and local businesses – this really is brilliant news for Bramley!
Councillor Jane Austin, Waverley Borough Cllr and Chair of Bramley Parish Council, added: ”The Bramley community has struggled for years with poor connectivity, and then the awful fuel leak meant many of us were plunged into no / glitchy internet for months on end. I can’t overstate what a positive difference full fibre rollout will make for Bramley residents and businesses. Openreach have listened to our concerns about the prospect of potential disturbance with rollout and they have come up with a plan to minimise disruption. We look forward to continuing our constructive working relationship so we can improve the Bramley area; our community is bouncing back even stronger than we were before.”
The Full Fibre build is expected to begin in the coming weeks.