HAMPSHIRE County council bosses are the latest to come out against plans to put fluoride into tap water.

They will this week oppose fluoridation for the city, hot on the heels of Test Valley councillors who have also rejected the proposal.

Southampton City Primary Care Trust wants to add more fluoride to water supplies in a bid to improve poor dental health among the city’s children. It will affect 160,000 homes in the city and 30,000 in Eastleigh, Netley and Totton.

The county council set up a panel to investigating fluoridation and on Thursday, the panel will urge the council to oppose fluoridation due to a lack of evidence on its safety and to ask for a debate on the issue to take place in a “more mature and participative way than has been the case”.

Panel chairman Anna McNair Scott said: “One question that the review panel felt had not been satisfactorily addressed is that of the optimal dose. There are indications that this is an important unknown – for example, there are now suggestions in the US that infant formula should not be made using fluoridated tap water. When this was raised with witnesses, answers were dismissive.”

Test Valley councillors voted against fluoridation by a 26 to 10 majority. Cllr Alan Dowden said: “More people now brush their teeth properly. Any beneficial effect of fluoride comes on the surface of the teeth, no benefit at all from drinking it.”

South Central Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is running a public consultation on the fluoridation plans, which ends on December 19. A final decision will be made in February.

n A SECOND fluoridation Question Time event will take place in Southampton tonight at St Mary’s Stadium from 7-9pm.