London Assembly Member Leonie Cooper welcomes Government support for Super Reservoir in Abingdon

Leonie Cooper, Labour Group spokesperson for Environment, has welcomed Government plans to build a new super reservoir in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

The proposals, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves today, would see nine new reservoirs built, as the Government has agreed for water companies to invest £7.9bn to improve the UK’s water infrastructure. 

When complete, the Abingdon Reservoir is set to produce up to 270 million litres of water per day, providing additional water supplies for millions of people across London and the South-East. 

Expanding the UK’s reservoir capacity will secure safe, high-quality water for several generations to come, and demonstrates the government’s commitment to kickstarting economic growth by investing in the UK’s water infrastructure. 

Assembly Member Cooper has campaigned for the reservoir to be built since 2016 when first elected, raising the issue at City Hall. She has welcomed the progress, saying this will be of enormous benefit in providing clean water for Londoners in the decades to come. 

London Assembly Labour environment spokesperson Leonie Cooper AM said: 

"London has some of the highest quality drinking water in the world. For nearly 15 years more than 99.95 per cent of tests taken from Londoners’ taps have met the stringent standards set by Europe and the UK.

“I am delighted with the plan to go ahead with the long-planned Abingdon Reservoir project. This will be of enormous benefit to Londoners and will provide clean water for decades to come.

“I will continue to campaign for the water companies and central  government to make sure that construction of the Abingdon Reservoir project is accelerated to 2035 – two years sooner than planned.” 

ENDS