UK's oldest lido remains closed after flooding

The pool remains closed more than a year after the flooding

A charity that runs what is believed to be the UK's oldest lido has said it will remain shut while work continues to repair damage caused by a flood.

Heavy rain in January last year caused "significant damage" to Bath's Cleveland Pools, which have flooded twice since reopening in 2023.

The pools first opened in 1817 and were used for public swimming for more than 160 years but closed in 1984 and faced the threat of demolition in 2003.

The Cleveland Pools Trust said its plant room and machinery had suffered damage, and investigations were ongoing.

Chair Paul Simons said he was grateful to volunteers who continued to help, adding the team was trying reopen the venue as soon as it could.

Mr Simons said: "The trust, with the assistance of its professional advisers, is looking at all its available options for recovering the cost of remedying the damage to allow the pools to reopen.

"Unfortunately, at this present time, the trust is unable to put a timescale on this.

"The trust shares the frustration of the public that the pools remain closed."

However, he said he wanted to reassure the public that as a registered charity run by volunteers, it was using its "best endeavours to find a solution to allow the pools to be brought back into use as soon as is practically and viably possible".

Thousands of Bath residents campaigned with the trust to save the lido after it was closed down in the 1980s, and restoration work began in May 2021.

The overall cost of the project was £9.3m, with £6.47m coming from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.