Hilsea Lido stays shut over summer despite funding boost

Hilsea Lido has been closed recently due to ongoing technical problems

A popular open-air swimming pool will stay closed this summer despite a recent funding boost.

Hilsea Lido in Portsmouth is receiving money as part of a £20m government Levelling Up package for the city announced last year.

But the volunteer-run facility said the investment came too late to save the coming season, with work still needed on its "very old infrastructure".

The lido's community trust insisted it would open to the public again in 2023.

The lido was a popular attraction when it first opened in 1935

Posting on Facebook, the trust said it had hoped the lido would be available for at least a short period this summer, but had "now realised even this will not be possible".

It said: "Prior to the trust being formed and taking over the site it had been left derelict.

"Decades of lack of investment and a very old infrastructure are catching up and whilst we've worked very hard to keep the machinery ticking over, it's now reached the point where major items are starting to fail.

"The major investment we have received is too late to save this season but will help save Hilsea Lido for the future."

Hilsea Lido, which dates from the 1930s, shut in 2007 and was reopened by a charity formed by residents in 2014.

It ended its summer season early last year due to technical problems.

The government confirmed £8.75m of its Levelling Up package would go towards creating Linear Park, which will incorporate a revamped Hilsea Lido.