'Upset and anger' over Peterborough hydrotherapy pool demolition

St. George's Hydrotherapy Pool has been demolished by the Peterborough City Council

Supporters who fought to save a hydrotherapy pool have spoken of their sadness after demolition work began.

The St George's hydrotherapy pool in Peterborough offered accessible pool and spa facilities and had 4,500 registered users.

Peterborough City Council said the service had to be cut to save money at a "dire financial time".

Karen Oldale, of the Friends of St George's, said its closure had left people "very upset".

"The users are very upset and angry at what the council has done," she said.

"There have been a lot of tears. We did everything we could to keep it open- from bake sales, to raising money and donating over £7,000 over the years for the pool.

"It was a much-needed service for the non-speaking and people with mobility issues."

The St George's Hydrotherapy Pool had 4,500 registered users

Peterborough First Group councillor John Fox, who campaigned against the closure, described the demolition as "appalling".

The site is due to be taken on by Heltwate School, a special school for four to 19-year-old pupils.

The pool's closure has led to sadness and anger in the city

Following the closure of St George's pool, the Conservative-run council ran trial sessions offering a similar service at Lime Academy last year.

But said it had a "low usage" with only 15% of sessions at the pool were booked each week.

"This low usage has meant the council has had to subsidise the pool to the tune of around £4,000 each month," said a council spokesperson.

"The council continues to face financial challenges and to be able to provide the services we need to for a growing population, with more complex needs, we have to think carefully about how we spend taxpayers' money.

"At a time when there are huge pressures on our budget, for example in the area of children's social care, the council cannot fund hydrotherapy provision, especially when in every other part of the country this service is funded largely by private organisations or the NHS."

However, some users criticised the service provided at Lime Academy, telling the BBC it was "very expensive" and "not good enough".

The decision to permanently close the pool was made last July.