Cleveland Pools in Bath delays reopening after flooding

The UK's oldest lido has been forced to delay reopening after flooding due to heavy rain caused "significant damage".

Bath's Cleveland Pools has flooded twice since reopening in 2023.

The famous site closed to the public in the 1980s but reopened for the first time in September after a successful campaign to save it.

Paul Simons, who chairs Cleveland Pools Trust, said: "The flooding has found its way into the plant room leaving the pools currently inoperable."

He added: "The flooding issue was fully investigated and taken into consideration when designing the scheme prior to the commencement of works on site.

"After the enormous efforts of so many to achieve the re-opening of the pools, the trust regrets this disruption to those wishing to use and enjoy the facilities."

The pools were used for public swimming for more than 160 years after opening in 1817, but closed in 1984 and faced the threat of demolition in 2003.

Thousands of Bath residents campaigned with the trust to save the lido, and restoration work began in May 2021.

The overall cost of the project was £9.3m, with £6.47m coming from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

In a statement, the Cleveland Pools Trust said it was "determined" to find the quickest way possible to bring the pools back into use but there was no timescale for the reopening date.

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