Southeast England could soon have its own lake district thanks to the planned building of six reservoirs to supply the booming population and prepare for a hotter climate.

One project, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, covering four square miles, is more than half the size of Windermere in the Lake District, the biggest natural stretch of fresh water in England. Another proposal would result in a doubling in the size of Bewl Water reservoir in Kent, already the largest lake of any kind in the southeast.

Supporters of the projects claim they will provide facilities for sailing and fishing and attract aquatic birds. Environmentalists and local residents, however, are concerned about the destruction of habitats and loss of homes. They claim the reservoirs are an easy option for water companies reluctant to spend money on repairing poorly maintained pipes to reduce water wastage.

Brenda Pollack, campaigns manager for Friends of the Earth, said: “Storing rainwater from the winter for use in dry spells is a good idea but not enough is being done to address leakages.” Opposition will probably come too late to save the £1m home of Mike Authers, 48, a classic-car dealer, and his wife Helen, 41, a horse breeder and mother of two. It is in the centre of the proposed Thames Water reservoir near Abingdon and will be bulldozed so that workmen can excavate the clay 15ft beneath to line the walls of the reservoir.

“It’s very frustrating,” Helen Authers said. “We will probably want to emigrate after we lose our home.”

Other reservoirs include one proposed by South East Water on 500 acres of farmland at Broad Oak, north of Canterbury, and one by the same company near Ringmer, East Sussex, that could entail the destruction of 10 miles of traditional hedgerows.

Additional reservoirs are planned for land near Portsmouth and in Abberton, near Colchester, Essex.

All the water companies say the projects are vital. David Owens, chief executive of Thames Water, which is planning the Abingdon project, said: “The pressures of population growth, climate change and increased consumption will put our supplies under severe stress. New resources such as this are essential.”

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