Frustration as outdoor pool stays closed

Residents have voiced frustration after an outdoor swimming pool in Oxfordshire remained closed during this week's record-breaking heat.

As temperatures topped 30C on Monday, Friends of Abbey Meadow Outdoor Pool urged an early reopening of the Abingdon facility, as happened last year.

The Radcliffe Meteorological Station in Oxford said it was "a record breaking day" with a provisional May maximum of 33.4C, 2.8C above the previous 1944 record.

Vale of White Horse District Council said last year's decision was to trial a "weather dependent" opening and added that running an outdoor pool "carries substantial operational and maintenance costs".

Elizabeth Simpson, chair of Friends of Abbey Meadow Outdoor Pool, said it was "disappointing to be in the meadow this week and see the pool closed".

She said using it would have been a safer alternative to swimming in the River Thames.

Simpson acknowledged staffing costs were "prohibitive" but argued the pool was built to "provide a safe environment to discourage people from risking swimming in the river".

The council said the firm that manages the site, Better UK, made the decision last year to trial a weather dependent opening "in the run up to the usual start of the season in late July".

It added: "The pool was opened in mid-June at weekends – and during the week – if the weather was good, this was at no additional cost to the council."

Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), which operates the pool under the brand Better UK, said it had planned to reopen on 18 July.

"We schedule reopening to coincide with the beginning of the school summer holidays, when we know the pool will be busy," it said in a statement.

"This is because all the financial risk of an early opening sits with GLL (the charitable social enterprise that operates leisure facilities within Vale of the White Horse under the Better brand) rather than the council, so we must be confident that we would have sufficient visitor numbers to at least cover our operating costs before committing to an earlier opening.

"This is crucial because we operate as a not-for-profit charity.

"However, if the current warm weather continues, we are exploring the option of opening early, in mid-June this year. This would be the minimum turnaround time, to get the pool, cleaned, operational and fully staffed."