Fears over safety at leisure centre

A PARENT has branded a leisure centre a “health and safety risk” as it remains open during building renovation work.

The dad, who did not wish to be named, said he was concerned about the condition Llanishen Leisure Centre in Cardiff was in when he took his son swimming on December 19.

He said that in order to reach the changing rooms they had to walk past the swimming pool through an emergency exit.

“To get to the changing rooms you had to go through an emergency door and walk round pool side,” he said.

“Normally you would have to shower before going through there but you are now walking through with outdoor footwear on.

“From a health and safety perspective they are opening themselves up to all sorts.”

The dad, who has used the centre for several years, said he was particularly concerned about the toilet facilities.

As some toilets were unavailable and a female yoga session was in progress, the only toilet they could use involved walking past a large amount of building materials.

The dad said: “The male changing rooms were meant to be open on December 4 but there is still no sign of them. They have started doing the reception area as well. “Other toilets are available but they were not accessible due to a yoga class. “I went through myself and took pictures. “The suggestion was that my boy walks through in his swimming shorts in an area where there were building materials. From a health and safety point of view it should be closed.” The dad said he did address his concerns to managers at the time. Pentwyn councillor Joe Carter said: “It’s worrying to see potential dangers Better Leisure are creating by carrying out this work whilst leisure centre users (in particular children) are present. It’s great to see improvements being made but the safety of users must be taken into account. “The leisure trust need to make their health and safety ‘better’ before a child is injured.”

A spokesperson for GLL, who run the leisure centre, said: “Llanishen Leisure Centre is currently midway through a £1m investment programme with the changing rooms and reception area currently undergoing refurbishment.

“We have been working hard to keep the leisure centre open during this period to minimise disruption and to ensure that the building works are carried out in a safe and timely manner.

“Despite this we recognised that some customers are being inconvenienced and for this we apologise. Should any customers have specific concerns or questions relating to the refurbishment, we would ask them to speak directly to one of the centre managers.”