DEFIANT Surrey commuters have been putting on a brave face this week in the wake of the the horrific London bombings. Local residents who regularly travel to London have vowed to carry on as normal and not let the terrorists' appalling actions control their everyday lives. So far, the police have confirmed that 52 people have died and 700 were injured when three bombs were set off on the tube last Thursday at Edgware Road, between Kings Cross and Russell Square, and between Aldgate and Liverpool Street. A fourth bomb also exploded on a bus at Tavistock Square. The process of identifying and naming the victims has begun. Of those who have been named so far, none has come from Waverley or East Hampshire. The bombings caused traffic chaos in central London as the underground network was closed and buses stopped from entering the city centre. This left many commuters stranded as they struggled to get to get to the railway station to get home. Although much of the rail network was severely disrupted, the Portsmouth to Waterloo line was largely unaffected. "Services were running pretty much as normal and we were constantly in communication with, and in the hands of, the British Transport Police," said a spokeswoman for South West Trains. "We did our best to get trains up to London as quickly as we could so that we could get people out of London as, understandably, some passengers left work early." The bombings sparked a series of security alerts in the days after the attack, with vigilant passengers reporting unattended bags at railway stations including Farnham, Portsmouth Harbour and Basingstoke, although all were false alarms. The South West Trains spokeswoman said that it was "noticeably quieter" on the trains on Friday with many firms in London giving employees the day off until the capital's public transport system was up and running again. Defiant passengers have this week vowed not to give in to terrorism and on Monday, commuters from across the area returned to work as usual. Grayshott resident Tony Stocks travels to London twice a week to his work in the West End and said that although it was "shocking" that the lines he used were bombed, he would carry on using the underground. He said: "Something like this does make you think about using public transport but you can't just not take it and let them terrorise you or they have won. "You have to get back on and go on with life." Passengers also spoke of the confusion they faced immediately after the bombings. Liphook resident Eric Hart worked in Canning Town. He said: "I work in London and had to walk three miles to Waterloo to try to get a train home. "The first I knew of it was this morning when I got into the office just after nine. I heard on the radio that there had been a power surge and then we heard that there had been a series of explosions. I decided to try to get out while I still could." West Tisted resident William Penney, who boards the train to London at Liphook, paid tribute to the work of the emergency services as well as the resolve of London residents and commuters. "It's a tremendous testament to the work of the emergency services that they were able to deal with this horrific situation," he said. "It's an inherently British reaction, it's not the stiff upper lip - just a determination and resolve to get on with it all. "We have to accept certain levels of inconvenience and remain tolerant of others. At the same time we must keep our eyes and ears open in order to help each other." While many in London were caught up in the confusion, Liphook resident and Daily Mail reporter, Bill Mouland, could not afford to be a spectator. He told The Herald: "I went to the London Hospital where double-decker buses were bringing in the walking wounded for treatment while the more seriously injured were arriving in ambulances and by helicopter. "It was heart-warming to see staff pouring out of the hospital to put blankets around people's shoulders and offer them comfort. "Later in the day, I was in Aldgate as people tried to get home from work without any trains or buses. "They marched stoically, not knowing when they were going to get there and keeping a cheerful face, determined not to let the bastards get them down."
