BOURNEMOUTH and West Hampshire Water is backing proposed changes to the law over who should bear responsibility for adding fluoride to the public water supply.

The Water Bill, due to receive its second reading in the House of Commons next Monday, would give strategic health authorities the power to decide after public consultation.

At the moment, health authorities can ask for fluoride to be added to water to reduce dental decay in children, but the water companies do not have to comply with the request.

Tony Cooke, managing director of Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water, told the Daily Echo: "This is clearly unsatisfactory because fluoridation is a health issue and not a water company issue.

"Health professionals should make decisions about public health matters, not water companies, and only after wide scale public consultation."

The company's technical director, Roger Harrington, explained: "As an industry and a company, we are supporting proposed changes in the draft Water Bill that will, if enacted, make fluoridation a matter for the health authority to decide."

He added that the water companies also wanted indemnity against any civil or criminal action if they are required by law to add fluoride to water.

"There are strong views for and against fluoride and we feel it's not a matter we can really add to. We want to provide safe, good quality drinking water," said Mr Harrington.

Fluoride is added to water in about 60 per cent of supplies in the USA and in a handful of locations in the UK, including Birmingham. The chemical occurs naturally in water in some parts of the country, but in relatively low levels in East Dorset.

Dr Nicky Pearson, director of public health for Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority, said: "There would be no rush as far as we are concerned to move to fluoridation.

"What we would want to do, if we received the powers outlined in the bill, would be to review the situation across the two counties and in doing that seek the views both of the public and dental health professionals before coming to a view."