Ageing swimming pool closes over safety concerns

A swimming pool has been closed indefinitely for public safety after surveys revealed it needed a complete rebuild.

The pool at Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Sudbury, Suffolk, had been due to undergo £875,000 of repairs and maintenance to keep the 39-year-old facility going for a few more years.

Owner Barbergh District Council said this was no longer viable, with the pool, sauna and jazuzzi closed with immediate effect.

"It is deeply disappointing that we have to close the pool, but we must put the safety of swimmers first," said Laura Smith, cabinet member for thriving communities.

"We had hoped ongoing repairs and maintenance would extend the life of the pool, which has a particularly challenging structure and design.

"The extent of work required is so significant that a complete rebuild would be necessary."

She apologised to pool users and affected staff and said the rest of the leisure centre would remain open.

Swim England, the national governing body for swimming in England, put the average life of a pool at 38 years, the council said - with Kingfisher due to turn 40 next year.

It had closed for a week in 2024 for repairs to a broken roof panel, but that turned into a month, and then six months, after further damage was found.

"The problems faced by Kingfisher are not unique," added Smith.

"We have seen other leisure pools built in the 1980s suffer from similar issues, with ageing structures reaching the end of their useful life."

Swim England's Decade of Decline report in 2021 warned that about 2,000 pools could be lost by 2030.

Smith said the council was looking into longer-term pool facilities but stressed the cost of building new pools was "significant" and had to be looked at on a national level.

Meanwhile, a public pool was available at Hadleigh and the council was urgently looking at alternatives closer to Sudbury, she added.

Warren Smyth, chief executive of Abbeycroft, which runs the pool, said it fully supported the decision and would be contacting all customers directly over the coming days.

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