Tandridge District Council is continuing to work with Croydon and Surrey Councils, the Environment Agency and Thames Water to deal with the flooding issues caused by the Caterham Bourne in Whyteleafe.

Three water storage areas have been created on areas of open land near the railway viaduct at Woldingham to take water from the Caterham Bourne, while a fourth will act as a back-up if heavy rainfall causes the others to overflow.

A22 at Whyteleafe to re-open on Monday 10 March

Surrey County Council is planning to re-open the A22 at Whyteleafe, to enable access for residents and business from Whyteleafe Hill roundabout to the Kenley Water Treatment Works, on Monday 10 March.

There will still be no access on the A22 beyond the Kenley Water Treatment Works and anyone who needs to travel beyond this point will need to use the formal traffic diversion route in place (via the B269).

Woldingham Road

Woldingham Road is closed from Wapses Lodge to the junction with Bug Hill, with access only to Woldingham School, the egg farm and Birchwood Kennels and Beechwood Riding Stables. There is a formal diversion via the A22, Hillbury Road, Limpsfield Road, Slines Oak Road, Halliloo Valley in place and all other local roads are open.

Full access to Woldingham Road is not expected before May 2014, but Surrey County Council is working on a solution to allow a single lane to be re-opened from Bug Hill to Wapses Lodge Roundabout, controlled by traffic lights by 1 April 2014.

For specific enquiries about the road scheme, please contact Surrey County Council 0300 200 1003 during office hours (8am to 6pm weekdays), or visit www.surreycc.gov.uk.

Support for local businesses

Businesses are being severely affected as a result of necessary road closures in Whyteleafe and Woldingham. Local businesses in both areas are open and residents are urged to support these.

Tandridge, Surrey and Croydon Councils, along with Thames Water and the Environment Agency are working together to deal with this emergency and work towards a long term solution.

Councillor Gordon Keymer, Leader of the Council, said: “This is a major incident for all of us. Our staff, along with those from the other organisations, have been working tirelessly for weeks to reduce the impact of the flooding and support residents. We will continue to do this until the threat of flooding reduces and are working with Croydon and Surrey Councils, the Environment Agency and Thames Water to find a long term solution.

We appreciate having roads closed and diversions in place is inconvenient, but it is crucial to the success of the project. Please do continue to support the local businesses – they are open and value your custom.”