Swimming pools face closure as energy bills spike

HUNDREDS of swimming pools across Britain are facing closure because they are unable to cope with rising energy bills.

Pool operators are planning to reduce opening hours, turn down the water temperature and even ask swimmers to reduce time spent in the showers to save money.

Almost nine in ten public pool operators said they will need to reduce their service in the next six months, according to leisure and swimming body UKActive. Twothirds said they would probably need to cut staff numbers to cope.

UKActive chief executive Huw Edwards described the survey results as ‘stark’ and predicted that without Government help there would be permanent closures.

‘They [the operators] are really struggling,’ he said. ‘They have been trying to put a plaster on this over the past couple of months. But the reality is they can’t see a way through this unless there is Government intervention. We are talking about hundreds of facilities.’

The cost of heating Britain’s pools could rise to £1.25 billion this year, up from £500million in 2019.

Even before the energy crisis, a 2019 report found 1,800 of the UK’s 4,000-plus pools will have to shut by 2030 as they became too old and expensive to upgrade. A coalition of organisations plans to send a letter to Ministers tomorrow citing the problem facing pools, leisure facilities and gyms.

Addressing the issue earlier this month, Westminster Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: ‘The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level.’