Council urges pool rules rethink

Health and safety costs could spell the end for public paddling pools

An historic spa town is calling for a rethink on health and safety guidelines for paddling pools after it was forced to close all three of its facilities.

Councillors in Harrogate, North Yorks, are questioning the need for full-time supervision of pools and expensive, automatic filtration systems.

Pools in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon are being closed because the cost of meeting new rules would be £223,000.

Members have written to the government to make it aware of their plight.

If they refuse to listen to our pleas the pools will have to close Councillor Pat Jones, Harrogate Council

The pools at Valley Gardens in Harrogate, Bebra Gardens in Knaresborough and Borrage Green in Ripon were temporarily closed last year, although funding was eventually found to keep them open during the summer holidays.

But last week the council voted to fill in the pools at a cost of £15,500 because it could not afford to meet the cost of stricter health and safety standards.

Councillor Pat Jones, of Harrogate Borough Council, said: "A blizzard of guidelines and directions from quangos has overwhelmed common sense and forced closure of our much-loved paddling pools.

"We need the government to help us preserve what has been a pleasure to children for generations.

"If they refuse to listen to our pleas the pools will have to close."