Anglian Water unveils plans for new reservoirs in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire to beat drought

Plans for two huge new reservoirs have been unveiled in a bid to beat future droughts.

Anglian Water, which is behind the proposals, said it wanted to build them both in the East of England - one in the Fens and the other in Lincolnshire.

The announcement comes as much of England is in the grip of widespread drought, with Thames Water on Wednesday becoming the latest company to announce a hosepipe ban.

Anglian Water said the reservoirs were a long-term investment, with a cost of at least £1bn each, but insisted the expenditure would not cause an immediate rise in water bills.

The reservoirs could supply enough water for at least 750,000 homes and construction could begin by 2030. This would mean they would start supplying water by the mid to late 2030s.

The Fenland reservoir will be able to supply around 100 million litres of water per day throughout the year, with the Lincolnshire facility able to supply around 160 million litres.

Anglian Water said the reservoirs would also allow a reduction in the amount of water taken from rivers and underground aquifers.

The plans have been developed over the last 10 years and a site selection study will be unveiled in the autumn, as part of an extensive consultation.

Anglian Water said it would be contacting all landowners and residents who may be impacted by the proposals.

Alex Plant, director of strategy and regulation at Anglian Water, said: "The current situation presents an obvious backdrop as to why projects like this are needed.

“Getting these projects under way now means the chances of our taps running dry are significantly reduced.

“We operate in the driest part of the country and receive a third less rainfall than anywhere else in the UK, but we’re also one of the fastest growing regions, with 175,000 new homes to be built in the next five years.

"Without action we will face a water deficit of millions of litres a day within the next five years – let alone 25 years."England has had its driest eight-month period since 1976, with the East seeing a fifth of its average rainfall in July.

Hosepipe bans have been imposed across the country as a result of the drought, but Anglian Water said it did not plan on bringing in restrictions this summer.

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