A22 Caterham Bypass resurfacing following diesel spillage

Fast, effective response to replace road surface

In the early hours of Monday 13 May, our immediate response team were informed of a significant fuel spillage on the A22 Caterham between B2208 Croydon Road (Wapses Lodge Roundabout) and the M25 J6 (Godstone).

Our response

Our operational team took immediate action to secure the site. Due to the volume and scale of the spillage, the only solution available was to resurface the road. To achieve this, a 48-hour plan was initiated.

By Monday evening, the on-site team had made excellent progress removing 4,600 square meters of contaminated surface and preparing for resurfacing. They were supported by the communications team, who provided regular social media updates. Over 200 leaflets were also hand delivered to residents and local businesses on Monday evening.

15 crews and 46 lorries worked through the night in poor weather conditions to reopen the network as quickly and safely as possible. During the closure, crews also cleared difficult to reach drains to alleviate flooding in the local area.

Completion was originally anticipated for Thursday 16 May midday. However, despite the weather, resurfacing was completed ahead of schedule. The road was fully opened on Wednesday 15 May before rush hour.

We would like to thank residents, motorists and businesses for their patience and cooperation.

Reporting emergencies

We provide a 24/7 service for emergencies within Surrey. For information on how to report road emergency, please see our road emergencies web page.

This page also gives helpful examples of emergency situations that need an immediate response. Please continue to report non-emergency issues with roads and pavements online.

What is next for highways?

This summer we are investing £8.5 million in improving over 85 miles of our busiest roads - an area over 170 times the size of Wembley stadium!

Some of our roads will be improved using surface dressing. Surface dressing is a cost effective, environmentally friendly treatment which makes roads safer and prolongs their life by over ten years.

Use our interactive map to see which roads are being improved between June and August 2024.

Stay up to date

You can sign up to our Highways Update newsletter to get the latest updates on the closures and other highways issues from across the county. Don't forget to follow the Surrey Highways Facebook and X accounts.

More from your council


Did you find this information helpful?

Subscribe to our newsletters for latest news and events.