Written question asked by Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 11 December 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 December 2025. It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Thursday, 18 December 2025 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Reservoirs: Thames Valley

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has considered alternative water supply schemes to the proposed SESRO reservoir in the Thames Valley.

Answer: The need for SESRO has been determined through statutory Water Resources Management Plans which are developed by water companies to show how they will manage supply and demand for the next 25 years. Water company plans adopted the outputs of the Regional Plan developed by Water Resources South East Water which appraised over 2400 options to meet water demand in the region. This included reservoirs, transfers, recycling schemes, new and redeveloped sources. All available options were compared through best value modelling, and SESRO was selected as a preferred option for the southeast and included in Thames Water’s Water Resources Management Plan.

Secondary information