Council 'looking for ways' to extend lido's season

Vale of White Horse District Council said the pool would be closed until 19 July

A local authority has said it is looking for ways to extended the period of time an outdoor swimming pool is open for, after facing criticism.

The Abbey Meadows outdoor pool, in Abingdon, is not due to reopen until 19 July - and will remain open for the duration of the school summer holidays.

Vale of White Horse District Council, which runs the facility, said running it was "expensive", meaning it needed to be "careful" about how long it stays open.

The pool had been at risk of closure in 2015 - but reopened in 2018 after a £1.3m refurbishment.

Naomi Richardson, who campaigned to get the pool revamped, previously told the BBC: "I think we can say that it's disappointing - that would be an understatement.

"I feel very frustrated about the potential that is being wasted, both for the town as a whole and the opportunities that are being denied people to enjoy the facility."

In a statement, the council said: "We're looking for ways to lower costs and hope to extend the season in the future.

"It's important to be careful and to remain within our operating budget so we can continue to open this popular site during the busy summer months, whilst also continuing to support other important services and our most vulnerable residents."

In total, the pool will be open for six weeks over the summer holidays. An adjacent splashpad has already reopened.

Unlike Abbey Meadows, most of Oxfordshire's lido's have already reopened to coincide with the unseasonal dry and warm weather.

Banbury's Woodgreen pool and Wallingford's Riverside pool both opened last week, while Hinksey outdoor pool in Oxford reopened at the start of April.