FURTHER to your article on the development in Rodbourne Rec, which may or may not take place this financial year, due to the crucial absence of key staff on holiday and the Bank Holiday.

Wiltshire Nature also raised the issue of the small nature reserve parallel to Great Western Way, that needs to be protected and the number of great crested grebe.

This was discussed on Radio Swindon 105.5 with a speaker from Thames Water, confirming that while fully budgeted currently if it overruns due to adverse weather conditions bills may rise to cover this, as they do not take long-term weather forecasts from the Met Office, only four days ahead.

As the weather has got cooler and more rain has come, the ground could soon become waterlogged as it did last year and Thames Water will then have missed its window of opportunity and its customers will have to pay for it next year.

The bigger issue though is the £80 from next year from all billing points to pay for the 15-mile Thames Tideway Tunnel that seems to be the elephant in the room as these kind of projects significantly will affect our water bills for the next 10 years.

Michael Morton, Bruce Street, Swindon