News that a public inquiry is being held into Thames Water’s £1bn plan for a reservoir between Abingdon and Wantage is welcome news, but not entirely unexpected.

It would have been unthinkable if such a major project could be considered without a meticulous examination, in public, of all the issues surrounding such a controversial proposal.

Everyone involved was clear that careful consideration was absolutely essential and we are pleased that the announcement of an inquiry has been welcomed, not just by those opposed to the scheme, including the Group Against Reservoir Development, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Vale of White Horse District Council, but by Thames Water itself.

Campaigners accuse Thames Water of not doing enough to find an alternative solution to a scheme whose construction could lead to ten years’ disruption for people living nearby.

They say that other options to a reservoir, including transferring water from the River Severn to the Thames Valley by pipeline, have not been examined sufficiently carefully by the company.

Campaigners believe the reservoir would be costly, environmentally damaging and unsustainable.

Thames Water is equally clear that alongside its continuing efforts to cut leakage and install more water meters in homes across the region, the reservoir remains an important part of its plan to continue to supply us with water.

A public inquiry will allow all sides to make their case.