THAMES Water has been accused of dragging its feet about answering key questions over a huge new reservoir earmarked for south Oxfordshire.

More than a year on from the start of consultations, the Vale of White Horse District Council said there had been no detailed answers to its questions on the plans for the £1bn scheme, bet- ween Abingdon and Wantage.

Questions the Vale wants answered include:

  • How do Thames Water's climate change predictions compare to other water companies?
  • What water savings could be achieved by spending an extra £1bn on repairing leaks in London over the next 15 years?
  • Why has the option of increasing the capacity of existing reservoirs not been included?
  • Why is Abingdon the only site capable of accommodating a reservoir of this size?
  • Have the risks associated with providing such a large supply from a single source been assessed - such as contamination or interruption to supply?
  • How much water does Thames Water transfer to other water companies in the South East?

Plans for the reservoir, proposed for a site between Drayton, Steventon and East Hanney, were unveiled in September last year.

They focused on the need for water until 2030. The district council argued the case for a reservoir of any size had not been proved.

The council commissioned reports from a firm of specialist consultants to examine the recreational, landscape and visual impact a reservoir would have,.

However, the Government has now said there would be no extra funding for the council to help pay for its investigations into the need for a reservoir.

The report predicts up to at least one million people a year going to the reservoir, which would be used for leisure activities like sailing, but said the absence of any visitor projections from Thames Water made it difficult to assess car park provision and impact on local roads.

Tony de Vere, chairman of the council's reservoir advisory group, said: "Even allowing for the delay in the process, as a statutory consultee we would expect a detailed response sent directly to us from Thames Water.

"So far we've received nothing. We have a duty to scrutinise the proposals and it takes considerable officer time and resources, including hiring expertise to help us.

"We will consider further measures to try to obtain funding."

A spokesman for Thames Water said it published an interim report in August as a general response to comments made during the second public consultation in January about conservation, recreation and design aspects of the proposed reservoir.

He said: "We're currently working on our water resources management plan, due for release next spring, to see if and when the proposed reservoir is still required.

"We cannot answer questions from the first stage of our consultation last year until the water resources management plan is published.

"It would be premature to respond in full to the Vale council or anyone else at this stage on reservoir design issues.

"However, consultation with our customers, the community and the council will continue and we welcome continued dialogue from all quarters."