With the company struggling to meet the volume of water needed by the rapidly expanding towns of Newcastle and Gateshead, it decided to build a second reservoir at Hallington and two at Swinburn. By the time a bill was placed before Parliament in February 1876, there were three reservoirs at Swinburn. The bill was opposed by both Newcastle and Gateshead Corporations, although their objections were eventually withdrawn, and by John Gifford Riddell, on whose land the Swinburn reservoirs would be built. Lower Swinburn reservoir was deleted in the committee stage of the bill, which became an Act of Parliament in July 1976. The company obtained a second Act in 1877, to authorise alterations to the Swinburn scheme, and at the same time extended the time allowed to build West Hallington reservoir. Land was bought in 1880, but construction did not start until Colt Crag reservoir, the revised Upper Swinburn reservoir, was completed. John Forster, the resident engineer, was paid an additional £100 per year to supervise and direct the works, which began in 1884.