Rock Hill will remain closed for up to four days for emergency carriageway repairs to a water leak and the resulting pothole.
This follows injuries to cyclists in two separate incidents. Both hit the pothole descending Rock Hill in the direction of the Merry Harriers and adjacent to Hambledon Nursery School. One suffered a broken nose after being propelled over her handlebars on Friday evening and the other received facial injuries after coming off his bike at the same location yesterday morning.
Both required hospital treatment at Accident and Emergency.
Hambledon Parish Council has been in touch with Surrey County Council Highways Department and Thames Water and, yesterday evening, a barrier was erected around the leak.
This morning, engineers returned and closed the road off to begin assessing the work required. It is not the first time this leak has emerged and, as before, there seems to be some dispute over whether the water company or the highways authority is responsible for the repair.

The council has spoken to the engineers currently on site. No work was taking place and it was clear that they were awaiting further instructions. They said that repairs are likely to take three to four days and during this period the road will remain closed to vehicles, although pedestrians and bicycles can pass.
They were asked if traffic light control could be introduced to allow vehicles to pass but the answer was “no” because the road is too steep and narrow to allow safe passage.
It seems the repair, when it comes, will not address the underlying issue of why this problem reoccurs, but will involve excavation, infilling and resurfacing. It was made clear that, with so many repair issues on local roads to be attended to, this is all the village can expect.
- Rock Hill is also known colloquially as School Hill
Hambledon Road remains open from the Hydestile Crossroads to the Merry Harriers and nursery school in one direction, and from Lane End through the village to Church Lane in the other. The signposted diversion is along the Petworth Road towards Milford, turning right into Culmer Lane/Water Lane, and then Station Road to Hydestile (or the reverse of).
Drivers should be aware the Culmer and Water Lanes are narrow, steep in places, badly rutted and with a considerable amount of surface water. Motorists may prefer to taking a longer diversion through Milford.