THE fluoridation debate will be moving onto Andover’s doorstep from 8 September when proposals to fluoridate the water supply of 200,000 south Hampshire residents go out to public consultation.

The consultation period will last for three months and include drop-in events and Question Time style debates.

The start of the consultation has been put back at the request of local authorites.

Plans to add the controversial substance to water supplies have been put forward as a way of fighting chronic tooth decay in children in areas of deprivation.

Some health chiefs believe that around 15 per cent more children would be free of tooth decay if the amount of fluoride in water was increased but sceptics question the benefits and argue that mass-medication is linked to health prob- lems.

The issue caused massive public controversy in 1950s Andover and resulted in major changes to the membership of the Andover Borough Council, which in those days had responsibility for water supplies.

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