Rugby club claims it is being 'pushed out' of area

2 hours ago

Bob DaleSouth East

Club secretary Kevin Rudd claims the club is being "pushed out" of Elmbridge

BBC Kevin Rudd, the acting secretary of Elmbridge Eagles Rugby Club. Kevin is standing at the Oaken Lane site and is wearing training gear for the Elmbridge Eagles, including a whistle and grey undershirt. — Club secretary Kevin Rudd claims the club is being "pushed out" of Elmbridge

A rugby club has said it feels it is being "forced out" of its Surrey home by the local council.

Elmbridge Eagles Rugby League club has been unable to play matches at its home in Oaken Lane, Claygate, since 2016, when 52,000 tons of soil was dumped at the site by mistake.

Only 26,000 tons was meant to be placed there, to improve drainage.

Elmbridge Borough Council said it was pushing forward with a forfeiture notice issued in November 2025, claiming the club has been "in breach of its lease for an extended period".

Twice the amount of soil needed was accidentally delivered to the club's ground, making it unusable for rugby

The Elmbridge Eagles site on Oaken Lane, Claygate. The club building is covered in graffitti and a number of pebbles can be seen in the image. The area is overgrown with weeds. — Twice the amount of soil needed was accidentally delivered to the club's ground, making it unusable for rugby

"We're just receiving eviction notices, in simple terms," Kevin Rudd, the club's acting secretary, told BBC Radio Surrey.

"We are going to take some further legal advice, but at the moment it seems the rugby league club with the name Elmbridge Eagles is being forced out of its borough," he said.

"We'd love to stay in Elmbridge, we have lots of schools that love the sport, that come to the club as their local community club, but ultimately it feels as if the club is being pushed out of Elmbridge borough."

In a statement the council claimed the rugby club was in breach of its lease "not only due to the unauthorised dumping of approximately 52,000 tonnes of material on the site, but also through their failure to maintain the clubhouse".

It added: "That notice set out the alleged breaches of the lease and provided the tenants with an opportunity to remedy those breaches within a reasonable period before any further steps might be taken.

"We continue to review the position and are progressing matters with a view to bringing the current lease to an orderly close and securing a positive future for the site.

"Our priority is to bring the current lease arrangements to an orderly conclusion and secure a positive future for the site, returning the site to leisure use, while acting fairly and protecting the council's legal position."

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, X, and on Instagram and listen to BBC Radio Surrey on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.