Cost of living: Rye swimming pool closed by Freedom Leisure

A leisure centre is temporarily closing its swimming pool, with the operator blaming energy costs increasing at an "alarming rate".

Freedom Leisure runs Rye Sports Centre on behalf of Rother District Council.

The not-for-profit trust announced the site's 25m pool will close from 1 November until a review in early spring.

The council's head of communities, culture and tourism, Hazel Timpe, said the closure was "sadly unavoidable".

Freedom Leisure said its annual energy bill had increased at an "alarming rate" from £8m to £20m nationwide.

It added: "We are acutely aware that this decision will be devastating to many of our customers that rely on the pool to improve their health and wellbeing.

"If we felt there was any other action we could take to not close the pool, we would. However, the increased costs of maintaining the swimming pool at Rye amounts to £92,000 a year which we cannot just absorb."

Freedom Leisure CEO Ivan Horsfall Turner said the decision "goes against our ethos and our vision of improving lives through leisure".

"We are very disappointed that this escalating situation has come to this," he said.

Ms Timpe added: "We are committed to working with Freedom Leisure to find a way forward that may enable the swimming pool at Rye Sports Centre to reopen as soon as possible."

Freedom Leisure, which manages 19 sites with swimming pools in the South East, recently reduced swimming pool temperatures after energy bills quadrupled.

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