'Our home is caged in by endless fences we have to jump to get to work'
A couple have resorted to "running across traffic" and jumping barriers to leave their home after being "barricaded in" from motorway widening work.
Rhiannon Leigh and her partner Spencer Coombes found themselves “caged in” on their farm near Cobham after nearby footpaths were completely blocked off.
They were shocked to find “fence after fence”, making what would be a 25-minute walk to work an hour-long trip with “barricades” in the way.
Their farm is located down a long driveway, between the M25 junction 10 and Painshill Park. National Highways is currently widening the junction in order to reduce congestion and ease traffic flow.
Rhiannon and Spencer claim they were not pre-warned about the pathway closures that were to take place.
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Rhiannon was on her way to work on July 3 when she found she was trapped by fences and barriers, leaving her with no choice but to “run across the traffic”, reports SurreyLive.
She said: “I was really confused, there was fence after fence, so I ran across the traffic to the other side, where there was a massive barrier on the other side. I couldn’t turn back so I jumped over the barriers and walked round Silvermere Golf Club.
“Myself and my partner found ourselves stuck, and couldn’t get to work. My partner is self-employed and usually walks up to Cobham where a colleague picks him up. They [National Highways] haven’t put any notices up or anything. It could be months and we’d have no idea.
“If they’d spoken to us it would be different. When I complained, I felt like I was sent around the houses. It has definitely affected my partner’s mental health with the cost of living and feeling like he can’t provide when he can’t get to work.”
The couple have had to rely on lifts, and she found that many taxis were cancelling trips due to traffic. She said: “We lost money due to Uber cancellations, and I rely on my parents to pick me up at 5.30am just so I can get to work and avoid the traffic.”
Pat, who owns the land, claimed: “[National] Highways are dealing with this project in a very uncoordinated way, most of what has been happening here on our side wasn’t meant to start till 2024. It’s just young men with computers making lines which are not practical. Our new road was meant to be at right angles to the drive, which would be fun for the dustmen.”
Jonathan Wade, National Highways project lead for the M25 widening scheme, reportedly said: "We have restored access to the footpaths on the approach to Court Close Farm near to our M25 junction 10/A3 scheme and we apologise for any inconvenience caused to local residents.
"As a part of the scheme we will need to temporarily close some footpaths around the junction in the future for safety reasons while we deliver the junction improvements. Ahead of this happening we will notify local residents and work with them to minimise disruption as much as possible."
The Mirror has contacted National Highways for comment.
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