A landgrab bid by Reading Borough Council for parts of South Oxfordshire has raised new fears over a new river bridge across the Thames.

But the way the issue has been handled has angered South Oxfordshire District Council.

Chief executive David Buckle said: "We learned about it from an article in a newspaper.

"There have been no formal approaches to us to discuss Reading's needs -- it has all been handled very badly."

The district council did not have a copy of the report to the Reading Borough Council cabinet until the Oxford Mail supplied it.

Reading has campaigned for many years for a new river crossing over the Thames to relieve its traffic problems.

But it cannot put one forward at the moment because south Oxfordshire owns the land on one side of the river -- and the district council is opposed to a new bridge.

Now the borough council is going to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister seeking minor changes to its boundaries which include the potential river crossing area.

Reading council leader David Sutton said: "We are looking at this as part of the scheme for a new bridge over the Thames. The changes at the moment are minor but we will be looking for a full scale review of Reading's boundaries over the next few years.

"We will be negotiating with our neighbouring councils over any proposals."

South Oxfordshire's cabinet member for planning, Robin Peirce refused to discuss the borough council's moves.