Sudden closure of Bo'ness swimming pool due to 'health and safety risks'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The sudden closure of Bo'ness Recreation Centre's swimming pool was to ensure the safety of staff and customers, councillors have been told.

Head of Invest, Paul Kettrick, made a statement to councillors at Falkirk Council 's executive today (Tuesday) following yesterday's shock news that the pool would close immediately.

Customers were told that the decision followed an inspection on Thursday, February 29, and was to "ensure both customers and staff are protected from the health and safety risks posed". Read more: Falkirk village gets 20mph speed limit in pilot to tackle dangerous traffic The recreation centre as a whole will close on May 3 although a determined campaign by local residents is challenging the closure every step of the way.The campaign group Save Bo'ness Reccy says it intends to go ahead with a photo call this Saturday to show the strength of feeling that remains in the town against the closure of the facility.Falkirk councillors voted to shut the centre for good after urgent repairs were identified including rewiring, new boilers and structural issues, with the estimated cost exceeding £4 million.At the meeting, Mr Kettrick told members of Falkirk Council's executive that an independent structural engineer’s had found "a significant deterioration due to corrosion and its structural integrity cannot be confirmed".This followed on from an earlier building surveyor report presented to elected members in January 2024 highlighting the building was rated as a ‘D’ being categorised as “life expired and/or serious risk of imminent failure; risk of injury”.Mr Kettrick added that the latest report on Friday evening had found: "Water was observed to be seeping through the pool wall to the full perimeter of the