A “tidal wave” of water which erupted from the ground shortly after midnight has left a trail of devastation across parts of Surrey.

Millions of gallons of water, which had been filtering through the rock into underground aquifers following unprecedented rainfall in the first few months of the year, burst out of old springs last night creating a series of geysers across Epsom Downs.

Burt Smith who was walking his dog on the downs at the time said: “It was absolutely unbelievable.  One minute everything was quiet under the moonlight, then there was a rumbling noise and the ground started to shake.

“Snuffles, my Alabama hound yelped, and ran off into the bushes. The next moment this huge fountain of water erupted right in front of me.

"It shot straight up into the air about 40 feet, and I was instantly soaked. Further down the hill I could see another two geysers erupting. The quantity of water was astonishing.”

The water flowed downhill past Epsom College and across the A240 Reigate Road, heading towards Ewell.

It surged over the Ewell bypass at around 12.20am, past the derelict Organ and Dragon pub, sweeping aside a number of cars as it passed.

It then roared down the road into Ewell Village, where it flushed the ex public toilets for the first time in years, before merging with the floodwaters outside Bourne Hall and flowing into the Hogsmill river.

The Environment Agency confirmed that by 6am the Hogsmill had risen by an extraordinary 6 metres, flooding surrounding farmland. Several thousand ducks escaped from the nearby duck farm.

Farmer, Alan Jones, said: “I am ruined. I was fattening them up for the annual duck race.  It looks like they have all headed down the Hogsmill towards the Thames. A couple of years ago the water level was so low you couldn’t even get a rubber duck down there.”

The Government has denied that the unprecedented event is connected in any way with plans to frack around Epsom Downs Racecourse, which some experts believe is sitting right on top of a huge underground reservoir of high-grade oil.

Green belt campaigners believe the problem has been exacerbated by building on flood plains and have demanded an immediate moratorium on all new developments.

Environmentalists told the Epsom Guardian this morning that it is further evidence of the increasing pace of climate change and urged residents to start adapting now.

Philip Fotheringale, of Green Action said: “Given the geography of the area, and the likely future impacts of climate change, I would suggest that farmers look seriously at wet rice cultivation, particularly with the hotter summers we are likely to experience.

"Dwellings in low lying areas such as Ewell should be built on stilts in future to protect them from flooding.

"And I would not be at all surprised if, within the next few decades, canoes replace cars as the primary method of transport in this area during the winter.”

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