A NEW reservoir north east of Swindon is more likely than icebergs being towed up the Thames to supply fresh water.

Thames Water has scuttled the iceberg plan publicised in the national media, saying it has never been tried successfully.

"There is no prospect of icebergs being dragged up the Thames," said Thames Water spokesman Nick Tennant.

"Experts have confirmed that the icebergs idea has not been implemented anywhere in the world.

"The same applies to other more extreme theoretical solutions, such as seeding rain clouds.

"In the longer term we think that a major new reservoir is likely to be needed to meet rising demand for water.

"We are updating detailed social and economic studies for this, with our provisionally preferred option being a site south west of Abingdon.

"The earliest the reservoir near Abingdon could be up and running is 2020."

He said the worst case scenario if the drought continued would be to move water around by lorry or tankers in the Thames Valley and London.

"This would be a massive logistical exercise, so we might also need to boost reservoirs by bringing in bulk supplies, either from other parts of the country or overseas," Mr Tennant said.

"Given that no-one knows how wet the weather will be this summer, it's important we all save as much water as we can now to make sure there is enough to go round for essential use later in the year."

Thames Water introduced a hosepipe ban at the beginning of April which covers London and Swindon.