Popular park paddling pool to remain shut this year

The pool at Markeaton Park has been closed throughout the summer holidays

A popular paddling pool in a park in Derby will not reopen this year, the city council has confirmed.

It was hoped work on the pool, at Markeaton Park, would be completed in time for the summer holidays, but it has been delayed due to bad weather.

Derby City Council said the surface of the pool began to show signs of deterioration towards the end of last year, with further investigations revealing it needed a full resurface.

The authority has apologised, saying the continued closure was due to "circumstances beyond our control".

Bad weather has delayed repair work

Specialist contractors were employed to carry out the work, but "prolonged wet weather" during spring and into early summer caused an initial delay to the resurfacing process, which needs to be done in dry conditions.

The council said it "has done everything in its power" to get the pool open in time for the school summer holidays, but added there had been "technical issues" with the resurfacing process, which were being investigated.

Councillor Ndukwe Onuoha, cabinet member for streetpride, public safety and leisure, said: "We're very sorry we won't be able to open the paddling pool this summer. Despite our best efforts, circumstances beyond our control have meant this won't be possible.

"We've had a number of setbacks, including bad weather and unforeseen issues with the resurfacing work, which has been carried out by a contractor.

"This has been frustrating for us because we know many people were looking forward to enjoying the pool during the school holidays. We understand how disappointing this is."

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