Environmental campaigners have joined forces with opponents of a new £2 billion reservoir to launch a petition which will be delivered to the government.
CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) Oxfordshire and GARD (Group Against Reservoir Development) are aiming to collect 800 signatures before presenting the petition to the Secretary of State for Environment.
Campaigners are calling on Thames Water to fix leaks across the network instead of spending so much on the new reservoir near Abingdon.
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The online petition says: "Thames Water leaks over 600 million litres of water per day. Instead of focusing on fixing this they want to build a destructive £2 billion pound mega reservoir, paid for by us.
"The reservoir could only replace a fraction of the water they lose through leaks and, studies show, it would be unlikely to provide water in droughts.
"These solutions would also be more reliable in droughts and much quicker to implement."
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The petition adds: "Those that have looked in detail at the proposals - including local MPs and councils of all political persuasions - all conclude that it is a deeply flawed project that is being driven by commercial ambition rather than what is best for a safe and secure future water supply."
There are 654 people who have already signed the petition run by 38 Degrees.
GARD and CPRE Oxfordshire were successful in challenging Thames Water's reservoir plans in a 2010 public inquiry.
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Compared to its previous plans, Thames Water wants to increase the size of its planned reservoir, situated between Steventon, Drayton, Marcham and East Hanney, by 50 per cent.
But last year GARD warned this could put villagers in East Hanney at risk if there was a fault in the reservoir.
Professor Richard Harding, chair of CPRE Oxfordshire, said: “The decision on the reservoir now lies with the Secretary of State, Steve Barclay. We need him to know how seriously he must take this issue."
GARD chairman Derek Stork said: “The reservoir could only replace a fraction of the water Thames Water loses through leaks and, studies show, it would be unlikely to provide water in droughts.
“By ignoring and not costing major issues such as flooding and safety, Thames Water has grossly under-estimated the cost of the reservoir in its aim to promote it over more sustainable options such as fixing leaks, water transfer and desalination.
“Alternative solutions would be more reliable in droughts and much quicker to implement."
Thames Water said earlier: "A new larger reservoir in Oxfordshire would not only help secure water supplies for future generations but provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest in new infrastructure and provide many social, economic and environmental benefits.”
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Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
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