RESIDENTS and traders from Wey Hill are pressing Waverley to act to prevent a repeat of the flood damage that devastated parts of the area last month.

Water up to four feet deep gushed into shops and homes in Wey Hill and adjoining roads during freak storms which caused the worst flooding for more than 30 years.

A crater opened up in the garden of a resident of St Christopher's Road when part of a Victorian brick-built culvert collapsed.

Property owners were infuriated when they received a letter from Waverley telling them that repairing and maintaining the culvert was the responsibility of the those whose property it crosses.

The letter, signed by Waverley's chief executive Christine Pointer, warned that the culvert was in an "unstable condition".

Waverley engineers have cleared bricks and debris from the part of the blocked culvert as part of emergency flood prevention measures.

Jo Jeffrey from Haslemere Wardrobe is calling for the council to make long-term repairs to the culvert. At the height of the storm, a three-feet high wall of water swept through the basement of her business on St Christopher's Road, ruining theatrical costumes and machinery.

"The council replaced two sections on either side of the damaged part. It's just ridiculous that they said in their letter that they will not repair this section."

Mrs Jeffrey is still unable to use the basement of her property and has had to have a new floor installed.

In Rodney Hollyman's back garden in St Christopher's Road, large metal girders pre-vent further collapse of the culvert and safety netting has been put up around the crater.

"The hole in the garden is unsightly and I had to lift the floorboards in the basement to allow it to dry out naturally," said Mr Hollyman

He added that he would not be able to afford the annual costs that would be involved in maintaining the culvert.

Monica Brummell, who lives near Haslemere Wardrobe with husband Gus, is still using two dehumidifiers to dry out the basement of her home.

Mrs Brummell returned from holiday to find that the floods had written off her son's Renault Clio, and destroyed valuable personal belongings and furniture.

"I don't think I could go through it all again. Whenever it starts to rain I have to keep checking the garden and basement," she said.

Trevor and Carole Hanham, who live on St Christopher's Road, are still unable to use their kitchen. They spent two weeks at the Lythe Hill Hotel because their home was uninhabitable.

Among other businesses affected by flooding were Basix General Store and Brasserie Ma Cuisine, in Wey Hill.

At Basix, owner Jim Edwards,' stockroom was knee deep in water. He said: "During the past month, Waverley has been completely silent."

The clean-up operation alone looks set to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds, and the people whose properties were affected are concerned that they will not be able to afford maintenance bills for the culvert.

Waverley is set to discuss the critical failure of the watercourse at a meeting of its executive committee next Tuesday.

Borough councillors will decide whether to take responsibility for the short- and long- term repairs and maintenance of the culvert which could cost £30,000.

"One of the principal concerns of WBC is the condition of the culvert at St Christopher's Road," said a council spokesman on Wednesday.

The water course is one of the many tributaries of the River Wey. It drains a large part of the southern slopes of Hindhead including the Polecat Valley and developed area of Lion Lane, Farnham Lane, and Wey Hill.

The report concludes that there is a high risk of a repeat of the problems suffered together with more widespread flooding in the Wey Hill area, because of the condition of the culvert which is part of the infrastructure in Haslemere.

Waverley engineers consider that the most practicable and effective way to reduce the risk of flooding to properties in St Christopher's Road, Meadow Vale and Wey Hill, both in the short- and long-term, is for the council to use its powers to take immediate remedial action and to investigate the cost of repair or replacement of the culvert in the longer term.