End of the line for city's pools

Horfield Sports Centre was opened last November

Three of Bristol's swimming pools are due to close their doors for the final time this weekend.

Speedwell, Filwood Pool and the Robin Cousins Sports Centre in Shirehampton, have all been deemed surplus to 21st Century requirements.

A council spokeswoman said: "So far we have built two new leisure centres at Henbury and Horfield, both with pools."

"We want to ensure first-class sports provision in the city - and are doing this by investing millions of pounds."

'Satisfied users'

"While many sites across the city are attracting thousands of satisfied users every week, the same cannot be said for Speedwell Pool, Filwood Pool and Robin Cousins Sports Centre, which have not been used to full capacity for some time", she said.

"As a result, the city council has reluctantly decided to close these facilities and redirect users to new sites or to other sites nearby."

Councillor Simon Cook said the council wanted local people to enjoy top-quality sports facilities.

He said: "Our overriding strategy has been to have a number of showcase community leisure facilities serving the city. Three are now in place and Hengrove will be delivered in 2008/9."