Barnstaple swimming pool reopens

THE main swimming pool at North Devon Leisure Centre has reopened, after being temporarily closed over the weekend. Staff at the Barnstaple pool became concerned about a crack in one of the diving boards, following a routine check on Friday. Following con

THE main swimming pool at North Devon Leisure Centre has reopened, after being temporarily closed over the weekend.

Staff at the Barnstaple pool became concerned about a crack in one of the diving boards, following a routine check on Friday. Following consultation with North Devon Council, it was decided to close the pool immediately.

Staff at Parkwood Leisure, who manage the centre, have since cordoned off the diving board area, but have also re-configured the pool so that 25 metre lane swimming is still available. There will be some minimal disruption to the usual swimming timetable, but customers are advised to telephone the leisure centre on (01271) 373361 before they visit.

Councillor Dick Jones, Lead Member for Community and Leisure, said: "We realise that closing the pool over the weekend may have caused some disruption. However, the safety of users and staff is of paramount importance. The council and staff at Parkwood Leisure took prompt action in this instance, and I am pleased that the pool is now up and running again, for all to enjoy."

Alan Waistell, general manager at North Devon Leisure Centre, added: "Because of the closure, we were unable to host a big event at the leisure centre on Saturday. However, fortunately, we were able to move the function to Ilfracombe Swimming Pool, which is also run by Parkwood Leisure. This was made possible by the staff, who worked hard to reorganise the event at such short notice, and by the competitors, who showed great co-operation and understanding."

Today, (Monday) the council's engineers inspected the structure of the diving boards, which have been out of use for many years. A specialist engineer is visiting the site tomorrow to further assess the situation.