A £35m project to ensure Swindon has enough water in the future will be completed in the New Year.

Contractors working for water company, Thames Water, have started final construction on a 25-mile-long pipeline, connecting the Farmoor reservoir, near Oxford, to the covered reservoir at Broad Blunsdon.

Once completed, the pipeline, will allow 40 million extra litres of water to be pumped into Swindon every day.

At the moment, Thames Water pumps about 28 million litres into the town every day, but when the new pipe come into services, it will effectively more than double the town's supply to some 68 million gallons of water a day.

Ed Pemberton, the project manager for Thames Water said: "By laying a second main from Farmoor Reservoir we will be able to meet future demand for water for people in the Swindon area as the population grows."

"We currently estimate that by 2030 Swindon could have 80,000 more people than it does now.

"The current pipeline is now effectively at its full capacity, so the new pipeline, was necessary, providing more than double the water."

The scheme was also necessary as licences to extract water from underground at sites near Latton are scheduled to run out in March next year.

The final phase is the laying of a five and a half mile pipe between Farmoor reservoir and Kingston Bagpuize and a smaller pipeline, just over a mile in length, between the Farmoor reservoir and the Beacon Hill reservoir.

Mr Pemberton said: "It will also mean that we have alternative supplies in place before our licence to take water from groundwater source in the area runs out at the end of March."

The project first began in June 2001 between Faringdon and Broad Blunsdon, while the second stage connecting Kingston Bagpuize with Faringdon was finished in December.

There are currently just under 184,000 people living in Swindon. Swindon Council estimates that the population will grow by at least 13,000 more people by 2011.

The average person currently uses around 163 litres of water every day, which means that a total of just under 30 million litres of water are used by Swindonians daily.

The extra supply will also help in providing water to the new developments planned for Swindon including the Front Garden and Coate Water.

Recent problems with low water pressure in homes in the town will not be resolved as a result of the project, according to Thames Water.

Mr Pemberton hopes to have the pipeline up and running early next year, after flushing out and disinfecting the system has been carried out.

Anthony Osborne