'Unacceptable' - Swimming cancelled as Southend pool closed due to temperatures
SWIMMING has been cancelled at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre after pool temperatures drop below required levels.
According to residents, the temperature at the Garon Park pool has been steadily dropping in recent months before suddenly closing at the end of last week.
Southend Council has branded the level of service being offered by leisure provider, Fusion Lifestyle, as 'unacceptable' and said the firm will continue to be held to account.
We're now on WhatsApp! Join our new channel at https://bit.ly/4eGOxig to get all the latest breaking news and exclusive stories delivered straight to your phone.
'It's been getting gradually colder for a few weeks, and I have spoken to staff at the swimming pool about it,' said regular swimmer Andrea Rowlands.
'However, the last time I swam before the pool closed, the water was so cold that it was actually painful to be in.
'I swim everyday so this closure is going to have a big impact on me and the other people who use the pool.'
Andrea added that the water in the pool had dropped to at least five degrees below the required 26 degrees celsius for public swimming pools in the UK.
Closed - The pool at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre has been closed due to low temperatures (Image: Google Maps) While Fusion Lifestyle is responsible for the operation of Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre, the facilities themselves are Southend Council-owned.
Matt Dent, Labour councillor for business, said: 'We're aware of the temporary pool closure at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre due to the ongoing temperature issues.
'We've made it clear to Fusion Lifestyle that this level of service is unacceptable. Fusion Lifestyle have assured us they are chasing the contractor to carry out the works as soon as possible this week, so pool usage can resume, and council officers are continuing to hold Fusion to account.'
Fusion has also confirmed that it is liaising with contractors to organise a timeframe for the works, which will be communicated to pool users as soon as possible – no reason was provided for the drop in temperature.
'We are working hard to resolve the pool temperature issue at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre,' said a Fusion Lifestyle spokesperson.
'We are liaising with our contractors and will update on timings for the required works as soon as possible.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Damp forced us to live in bedroom for four years'
A woman has said she and her husband were forced to live upstairs in their home in Leeds for four years after the council failed to solve an issue with damp. Melanie Town said the damp, from a flood under her council-owned home, caused appliances to break down, destroyed furniture and led to further health concerns for her husband, who was recovering from a serious illness. Mrs Town said: "It destroys you, knowing the council knew the condition we were living in and that we lost everything downstairs, and did nothing to address it." A council spokesperson apologised for not fully resolving the issue, but said multiple repairs had been carried out and the house had remained "habitable". Mrs Town said the repairs to the property in Thorpe on the Hill, where she had lived for 12 years before moving to East Yorkshire at the end of last year, had included replastering the living room five times after it kept becoming damp. "We lived in the bedroom for four years. The mental health [impact] from doing that in your late 40s and 50s – it's no good at all," Mrs Town said. "I'm not upset, I'm angry. They wouldn't live like that, so why did they expect me to?" Mrs Town said it had become a "running joke" with builders, plasterers and plumbers when they repeatedly visited the property to fix the same issues. "The council was sending plasterer after plasterer to rip off the walls and re-do them, without getting to the root cause of the damp and the mould," she said. She explained that the damp had caused the oven and fridge-freezer to break down and work surfaces to come away from the wall in the kitchen. Meanwhile, the carpet had begun to smell and it eventually had to be removed, leaving bare floorboards, she said. Mrs Town said she and her husband had to take their clothes to the laundrette and they had lived on takeaways and air fryer food - even having Christmas dinner in their bedroom. "It's enough to take a toll on anybody," she said. Mrs Town said that despite being in the top priority band for council housing and bidding for a new property every week, trying to downsize from their three-bedroom home, they were never able to secure one. She said they had taken things into their own hands in December and had moved to Hornsea in East Yorkshire, which she said was "not ideal" and had been an "upheaval". "I was suffering with chest infection after chest infection, and I just said I couldn't do it anymore. Anchor Homes offered us this one, so I took it," Mrs Town said. "We have lovely neighbours, but it is quiet, and I feel out of place at times. "Without a car here, you are cut off. Both our families [are in Leeds], and my friends are there." Mrs Town said the move had also meant the couple had to pay for further travel and accommodation when Mr Town had hospital appointments in Sheffield which he still needed to attend following a bleed on the brain eight years ago. She said Leeds City Council had been aware of Mr Town's health issues, which included a small stroke, loss of hearing and chest infections since the brain haemorrhage. "Any council should not get away with making people live like that. I am really angry with them. I want them to acknowledge what they've done," she said. Responding, a spokesperson for Leeds City Council said repairs were carried out on several occasions in an attempt to resolve the issue at Mr and Mrs Town's home. "Unfortunately, the root cause was not addressed, and the issue returned when there was heavy rainfall," they said. "The property remained habitable during the tenancy, although Leeds City Council apologise for not being able to resolve the matter fully." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North Leeds City Council
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Residents invited to take part in liver testing
Residents in Stoke-on-Trent are being invited to take part in free liver testing at two local roadshows funded by a doctor who died from cancer. Dr Alison Brind, 63, who specialised in liver disease, worked with patients in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire for more than 25 years. The consultant gastroenterologist, who worked at University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM), was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2022 and died in April last year. After identifying people at risk of liver disease at roadshows in 2023, Dr Brind, who raised more than £10,000 for the UHNM charity, decided to fund the scheme for another five years, organisers said previously. Two Love Your Liver roadshows are being held at Stoke City's Bet365 Stadium on Tuesday and at Port Vale Football Club on Wednesday between 10:00 and 16:00 BST. Vanessa Carr, liver clinical nurse specialist, said visitors would be offered a free liver health scan and could also speak to a dedicated liver health team for advice and support. "One in 10 adults in Stoke-on-Trent may have liver disease but be completely unaware because there are usually no symptoms in the early stages," she said. "But the earlier the disease is detected, the better chance there is to reduce and then reverse any damage." Ms Carr said liver disease remained one of the leading causes of premature death in the area. "None of this would have been possible without Dr Alison Brind who has been an absolute inspiration to us over the past 25 years and we continue to work in her memory," she said. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. 'Truly inspirational' doctor and fundraiser dies Doctor with cancer 'honoured' by work award 'I want to be remembered for liver disease work' UHNM
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Council still reviewing bus scheme feedback
Feedback on plans for a bus lane is still being reviewed, three months after a consultation on the scheme closed. The proposals, for Sunderland's Chester Road, include creating a bus lane towards the roundabout at the junction with Springwell Road and Holborn Road, instead of previously mooted traffic lights. It is part of the regional Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), funded by the government. A council leaflet detailing the scheme said works were expected to start in the summer and would take about a year. A public consultation on the proposals closed on 5 March and Sunderland City Council said feedback was being reviewed. It has not confirmed when the review will be complete. The proposals also include carriageway widening to allow bus priority and a free-flow bus lane through the A183 Greenwood Road roundabout changes to road markings at Hastings Hill Roundabout and the Grindon Lane junction introducing signals at existing roundabouts at Hastings Hill and Greenwood Road junctions The BSIP aims to improve bus journey times. Proposals have also been developed for the A690 Durham Road. Councillor Lindsey Leonard, cabinet member for environment, transport and net zero said: "The proposals for A183 Chester Road have been subject to consultation with residents and other stakeholders and we are currently reviewing the feedback. "Once this evaluation process is complete, we will update all interested parties with the outcome and next steps." Previous plans for traffic lights at the roundabout at Chester Road, Springwell Road and Holborn Road were not included in the final proposals after modelling showed introducing them would increase delays. The move was criticised by local residents and opposition councillors, who said a bus lane would make traffic worse. Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Traffic light plan dropped over delay fears Residents say bus lane will make traffic worse Sunderland City Council
