A NEW wetland habitat has been opened to mark the ten-year anniversary of a Hampshire nature reserve.

Southern Water and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust toasted their ten-year partnership at Testwood Lakes by holding talks and a guided walk of the area.

The new habitat has been created to encourage wetland wildlife such as toads, newts and dragonflies.

The 130-acre site is managed by the trust in partnership with Southern Water, which owns the site.

It was designed to safeguard the water supply for up to 200,000 people in Southampton and the surrounding area, and now supplies parts of the Isle of Wight through pumps under the Solent.

The trust transformed part of the site into a nature reserve ten years ago.