Silverfish discovery shuts hospital therapy pool

A hydrotherapy pool at a hospital could be closed until October after silverfish were found near the water.

The insects were discovered during maintenance work at the pool located on the ground floor of the Gainsborough Wing in Colchester Hospital, Essex.

Silverfish are small insects that lay eggs in damp places, eat through materials and can contaminate food.

Chief nurse Catherine Morgan said: "We'd like to thank our patients who will benefit from hydrotherapy for bearing with us while we carry out this work."

Patients have been offered alternative therapies in the hospital's gyms during the pool's closure.

The decision to shut the facility was taken after "a small number" of the silverfish were found during work in the pool area, the hospital said.

Infection control and health and safety teams worked to remove them after the discovery, it added.

Silverfish are also known as fishmoths or bristletails