SOUTHERN Water is planning to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on keeping Hampshire's rivers and taps flowing during a drought.

The company says its Water for Life – Hampshire programme will revolutionise the way it sources, treats and supplies water across the county over the next decade.

Southern Water is seeking planning consent for a desalination plant in the Fawley area which will produce up to 75 million litres of water per day.

The proposed plant will supply communities across Hampshire during periods of drought.

Southern Water is also exploring a range of alternatives in case the desalination scheme proves undeliverable.

These include alternative sizes of desalination plant, different configurations of water recycling plants and a possible additional bulk transfer of water from the proposed Havant Thicket Reservoir, which Southern Water is co-developing with Portsmouth Water.

Southern Water is consulting the public in its proposals.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company has launched a virtual room online where people can interact with films, animations, information boards and a brochure detailing the programme and the opportunities to help shape the plans.

The virtual room can be reached via www.southernwater.co.uk/water-for-life-hampshire.

As part of its wider Water for Life – Hampshire programme, Southern Water is also planning to install up to 125km of new water mains to link up its key sites and bring in supplies from neighbouring companies as well as building additional storage.

Other targets include reducing leakage by 50% by 2050.

Increasing water efficiency by supporting and incentivising people to reduce their use to 100 litres a day (from an average of 129) by 2040

Improving environmental resilience and water quality by working with farmers, businesses and environmental groups to protect and restore local water sources

Ian McAulay, Southern Water CEO, said: “Water is a precious, and increasingly scarce, resource and we all need to take steps to protect and preserve it.

“Water for Life – Hampshire is our commitment to go to even greater lengths to strike the balance between protecting the environment and serving a growing population.

“It’s also a fantastic opportunity for us to work with environmental groups, local authorities, industry, land owners and others to deliver our stated vision of “Delivering a resilient Water Future for the South East” and, in particular, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

“This wide-ranging programme is the first of its kind in the UK and gives us an opportunity to help redefine how we think about water in a more holistic and sustainable way and create examples for the future.

“The result will be a resilient supply of water for customers and the environment, whatever the weather.”