Despite a 16-week consultation period having been launched by Thames Water on May 7, few people in the area appear to be aware of the proposals.

Over the next 25 years Buckinghamshire and the South East will face water shortages unless drastic action is taken - including the construction of vast new reservoirs.

Marsh Gibbon and Quainton have been proposed as potential sites for the construction of these facilities, each dealing with 30 million cubic metres of water - enough to fill 12,000 Olympic swimming pools.

Yesterday, the majority of nearby parish councillors contacted by The Bucks Herald claimed to know little about the consultations and Bucks County Council have said they will be looking at the plans closely.

Much of the Marsh Gibbon site is believed to be owned by the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT).

Jackie Phipps, AVDC member for Marsh Gibbon, said: "I thought this reservoir was definitely going to Abingdon. It's very easy to say to people to vote against this, but there are very good reasons why it shouldn't go ahead.

"There are some rare plants throughout the area, which is why BBOWT bought the area and it would be a shame to put it all under water.

"People got grants to drain all the land and of course since then they have had grants to put it back the way it was again because it has these rare plants that were being driven out of the area and it would be a real shame to lose them."

John Cartwright, Bucks CC member for Marsh Gibbon, said: "I think it is unlikely to come about and I think there's a good reason that they will need to go to Abingdon to build a reservoir. In Abingdon the land is much more valuable because it's all gravel, but here it's clay, which will cost them money to get rid of. So I can't see that they would really want to build at Quainton or Marsh Gibbon.

"I've not been involved in the consultation, but all I know is the same as the rumours that everyone else has heard about."

Thames Water have chosen a preferred site at Abingdon for a larger reservoir on grounds of cost, the environment and social impacts, but the two sites in the Vale could still be considered if that falls through.

The reservoir at Marsh Gibbon would cover just over 1,900 acres, whilst the one at Quainton would be 1,828 acres with both sites taking six years to build.

A spokeswoman for Thames Water said: "The Aylesbury area is served by the Slough, Wycombe and Aylesbury Resource Zone, but this area doesn't have a supply/demand imbalance and is expected to have a healthy supply for the planned period.

"The two main things that Aylesbury needs to be concerned with is that we will be enhancing the water efficiency plan and increasing our metering penetration."

The Slough, Wycombe and Aylesbury Resource Zone has a projected surplus of 22 per cent for the next two years, but that is expected to fall to seven per cent as demand grows and uncertainty increases.

As part of their control on water, Thames Water is looking at compulsory metering in 83 per cent of households by 2030 - current levels are 37 per cent.

The spokeswoman added: "Increasing metering will also allow our customers to pay for the water they use, which is a fairer way of charging. We also feel that it is vital that our approach is seen to be consistent across the company when the whole supply area has been designated as seriously water stressed."

If a reservoir was not built at Abingdon, the sites in the Vale would take water from the River Thames downstream of Abingdon when there is plenty of water ready to be released when the river is low, helping with 69 million litres of water supplies for London from each reservoir.

This would mean that if the alternative route was taken there would need to be pipelines and tunnels put in place along with water treatment works and a road or rail connection.

Chris Kenneford, Bucks CC's Strategic Planning Manager, said: "We will be examining this document closely and considering the proposals carefully before responding to this consultation, which is at an early stage at the moment. We would encourage members of the public to take part in Thames Water's consultation exercise and make their views known to Thames Water."

The consultation can be viewed at www.thameswaterconsult.co.uk and responses should be submitted by emailing consultations@thameswater.co.uk or by contacting 0800 107 8001.

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