Uncertainty over city centre fountain repair date

Work to repair fountains in Hull's Queen Victoria Square is ongoing but there is no guarantee they will be open for the summer, a councillor has said.

Jack Haines, who is part of the cabinet at Hull City Council, told the BBC he "would like to hope" they will be open in the coming months but could not confirm an exact date.

He also revealed work is continuing to reopen the public toilets in the same area.

It comes a month after it was confirmed a paddling pool in Pickering Park, which is also maintained by the council, will be closed for a second consecutive year.

Emma Hardy, the Hull West and Hessle MP, told BBC Radio Humberside that she has been contacted by "frustrated" constituents and "doesn't understand why there are so many difficulties".

She said: "We want people to come to the city centre, spend money and enjoy themselves. We need to know what is happening and what is the plan to sort it.

"They (the fountains and the toilets) have been closed for such a long time. I spoke to the council months ago and was under the impression it would be resolved quickly."

The fountains, next to the city hall, were installed in the run up to Hull's UK City of Culture year in 2017 but have been closed several times because of mechanical issues.

A Hull City Council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it hoped the toilets, under the Queen Victoria statue, will reopen later this month.

Mr Haines added: "We want to get these things open as soon as possible.

"We will always say we can go quicker, work harder and do more but there are constraints on councils and we're working as hard as we can. We know it's important to people".

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