Villagers say they are already battling floodwaters and warn that further development could make the problem worse.

Earlier this month, developer Taylor Wimpey submitted plans for a major 400-home development off the Hogs Back. It forms part of wider proposals for hundreds more homes between Normandy and Flexford, just north of the Godalming and Ash boundary.

Residents in Tongham have now started a campaign to oppose the plans, saying the village cannot cope with any further development, because of the flooding and a lack of infrastructure.

One resident said: “If there’s a large amount of rainfall, the main street in Tongham, The Street, becomes a river basically.

“We’re experiencing the flooding situation already because of the past developments, and if there is any further development behind the recreational ground, it will make it much worse.

“It really is treacherous. There are times when there has been large amounts of rain and I can’t even walk my kids into school.”

Taking up the community’s concerns is Godalming and Ash MP Jeremy Hunt, in whose constituency the village falls.

The former chancellor said on social media: “We all support the clear need for homes for young people and families, but areas like Tongham, Ash and further-south villages like Alfold have seen particularly rapid expansion in recent years.

“Many residents are rightly concerned about the loss of rural green fields, cumulative detrimental impact on roads, health services and school places.”

He said the “consequences of Labour's recent doubling of housing targets are now hitting hard” with Guildford Borough Council’s has risen from 560 to over 1,100 and Waverley Borough Council’s from 710 to more than 1,400.

He said that under national planning rules both Guildford and Waverley must demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing land — but the figures show they are below that threshold (Guildford: 2.98 years; Waverley: 1.28 years).

When a council cannot show the required supply, planning decisions fall into what is known as the “tilted balance”, which puts greater weight on approving new development and means speculative applications are more likely to succeed.

Mr Hunt said: “This effectively means planning permission is being granted on appeal, so instead of planned development we see speculative development, without the infrastructure it needs and in less appropriate places.”

He added: “I will be continuing to ask Government to reassess the ridiculously high housing numbers for our area which are causing such havoc and negative unintended consequences.”