Southern Water is to draw up plans to increase the size of its largest reservoir to avoid water shortages.

Bewl Water, on the Sussex and Kent border, can hold 31 billion litres of water and is used to supply more than 440,000 people.

But water companies in the South-East believe it will not be big enough to cope with the thousands of extra homes being built in the region over the next 25 years.

Southern Water is to carry out a series of surveys on the reservoir as well as public consultation and will decide in 2010 whether it wants to raise the dam.

Meyrick Gough, Southern Water's planning and strategy manager, said: "The South-East is one of the driest areas in the country and we are working together with other water companies now to ensure there are enough resources to meet our customers' needs in the future.

"Increasing the storage at Bewl is one possibility but we need to carry out extensive surveys and consultation to ensure the best option is chosen, balancing the needs of customers and the environment.

"At the same time, we are committed to reducing the amount of water lost through leaks and continuing our successful water efficiency campaign, which encourages all of us not to waste water."

Water is also pumped from the reservoir to Darwell Reservoir, near Battle, which supplies more than 100,000 people in the Hastings area.

Water use has risen by 50 per cent in the past 25 years and Southern Water predicts demand will rise by more than 150 million litres each day by 2030.

Friday May 28, 2004