The mother-daughter duo keeping Surrey drivers safe

Tens of thousands of drivers pass through Hindhead Tunnel each day – but how many of them know what it takes to keep the UK’s second-longest road tunnel running smoothly?

Sitting beneath a site of special scientific interest in Surrey, the tunnel opened early and under budget in 2011 – but work to keep its vast technology functioning was only just beginning.

Together, mother-daughter duo Debbie Wood and Jordan Cummings, from Horndean in Hampshire, are part of a small but vital team that keeps the tunnel running safely.

“We really love tunnels,” said Jordan, 25, laughing at the thought – but she is only half joking.

“I think I could drive through with my eyes closed, I know every bump,” says Debbie, 48, who use to work in the control room but is now a tunnel safety officer.

“I met my other half working here, Jordan has grown up around tunnels and now she’s here.”

Jordan, who works in the control room, says it is a working relationship she enjoys.

“If I’ve had a really hard day dealing with a bad incident, Mum will understand exactly what I’m going through,” she says.

The tunnel is nearly 2km (1.2 miles) long and normally carries 43,000 vehicles a day – but it is nearly midnight and the southbound carriageway is closed for routine maintenance when we visit.

Complete in hard hats and high-visibility jackets, Debbie and Jordan walk in the middle of the empty road.

But the tunnel is far from just a concrete tube – it is crammed with thousands of pieces of technology that all need to work together, including radar sensors to detect slow-moving vehicles, jet fans for ventilation, CCTV cameras and adjustable lighting in the roof.

“You update your phone all the time, the tunnel is no different really, it needs regular updates and upgrades as well,” says Debbie.

“It’s like my second home, I spend so much time here.”

Jordan agrees: “Every single day is just different, I never know what I’m going to get.

“I love it.”