Campaign to reopen swimming pool

The £3.5m pool closed in July 2006, three years after opening

More than 700 people have signed a petition calling for a swimming pool to be reopened in south Cumbria.

Berners Pool in Grange-over-Sands closed in July 2006 with debts of £200,000, three years after opening.

South Lakeland Council, which took control of the facility in March when it went into liquidation, is looking for a private bidder to take over.

But local people, frustrated the pool has remained closed, will hand the petition to the town council on Monday.

The campaign is being backed by Grange Primary School, which had used the pool for swimming classes.

Head teacher Colin Milner said: "We would take children from nursery age up to 11-years-old to the pool for nearly 40 weeks of the year as part of our curriculum provision.

"Since the closure we have only been able to finance lessons for students in Year 5 as we have to travel 14 miles to Ulverston.

"Swimming is an important life saving skill, especially when like our children you live on the coast."

'Private opportunity'

Berners was built to replace Grange's old open air pool and local people raised much of the £3.5m costs.

Mike Jones, chief executive of South Lakeland Council, said not enough people had used the facility.

He said: "This pool was built by the community, for the community, but I think there has to be some recognition that it closed because there wasn't enough demand.

"The legal position has always been that the council would take over the pool if the company went into liquidation.

"We're now looking to see if there is a private opportunity, and we should know what the situation is by the end of June."