Britain's oldest lido vows comeback after flood damage

Britain's oldest lido will "definitely reopen" despite suffering significant flood damage just months after opening, according to the charitable trust which runs it.

Cleveland Pools in Bath closed in January 2024 when the River Avon broke its banks and flooded the historic site, only four months after it had welcomed swimmers back following a multi-million-pound restoration.

Detailed investigations have revealed both mechanical and structural damage, meaning major repairs and significant fundraising is needed.

Peter Askew, chair of Cleveland Pools Trust, said: "We are moving as quickly and responsibly as we can towards reopening the pools. It's definitely going to happen."

The trust has set out a timetable that includes a public consultation and fundraising campaign, with repair work potentially starting in early 2028.

Cleveland Pools first opened in 1815 and reopened in September 2023 for the first time in almost 40 years after a lengthy restoration project backed by millions of pounds of public funding.

The site closed four months later after the flooding incident.

Askew said the trust has been going through detailed technical reports to understand what happened.

"The first is that floodwater entered the door of the plant room.

"And then, secondly, in the process of emptying the pool of floodwater, the groundwater level wasn't properly managed, and that led to further damage."

He said this caused the whole pool structure to lift, breaking some of the pipework underneath.

Uneven paving stones evident around the edge of the pool reveal further structural problems beneath the surface.

Last month, Cleveland Pools Trust regained legal operation from Fusion Lifestyle, a lido operator which was running the site when the flooding happened.

Fusion Lifestyle announced in April that it had appointed administrators after a "prolonged period of financial difficulty".

Askew said the trust has now started a public consultation, which will run throughout the year.

"We're making sure that we reach out to as many different communities for whom the pools could be useful in the future."

This will be followed by a period of fundraising "in order to get on with the work to the pool early in 2028”.

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