WAT-ER SHAME
World famous UK lido with heated pool could be forced to close
And the important advice to take into consideration when going swimming this summer
A MUCH-loved UK lido could be forced to close for good, with financial pressures putting its future at risk.
Councillors have raised concerns about the Gourock lido in Inverclyde, Scotland, with some saying "difficult decisions" will have to be made in the coming years.
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The heated outdoor pool is one of the UK's most well-known, and even featured on a Blur album cover last year.
It offers open air swimming in heated saltwater, accompanied by spectacular views of the Clyde Estuary, which it sits right next to.
The vista from the pool takes in Holy Loch, Loch Long and Gare Loch all at the the other side of the estuary, as well as the picturesque hills in between.
In recent years, it has been refurbished, with modern and contemporary changing facilities added, along with a pool terrace for sunbathing.
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Despite its postcard-perfect setting and popularity among locals and visitors, local councillors have previously expressed concern about its future.
That includes the leader of Inverclyde Council, Stephen McCabe, who previously wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he was not sure how sustainable the site's future was.
Speaking to local paper the Greenock Telegraph earlier this year, the councillor said that proper funding was needed to keep the pool open.
He said: "Anyone who thinks the council can guarantee maintaining leisure facilities indefinitely is simply not living in reality.
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"We wouldn't want to see Gourock Pool close, but the reality is that without proper funding from the Scottish Government and the ability to raise council tax charges, we might not be able to sustain these services into the future."
However, those claims were refuted at the time by Alba Party general secretary Chris McEleny, who accused the council of scaremongering.
Historic 'on-of-a-kind' lido has three heated swimming pools
He said: "The Clyde should run dry before Inverclyde Council considers closing Gourock pool just to make a short term budget saving that would have a long term impact on the local economy."
For the time being, the pool remains open and is as popular as ever.
Its weekly starlight swimming sessions are running throughout the summer until the end of September.
They offer people the chance to swim beneath the stars in the heated water, from 10pm until midnight.
Swimming safety advice
Experts have revealed some of their top advice for both adults and kids heading to the water this summer:
How to stay safe at the beach
Gareth Morrison, Head of Water Safety at the RNLI said: "If you find yourself being swept out to sea in a rip, try to relax and float until you are free from the rip and you can then swim to safety.
"If you see someone else in danger, alert a lifeguard or call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard."
How to stay safe at the swimming pool
Tiny Hearts Education, former paramedic and CEO Nikki Jurcutz said: "Always put your little one in bright or contrasting colours that would be easy to find in an emergency.
"It only takes 20 seconds to drown, little tips like this could save a life".
An Auqabliss spokesperson added: “Swimming toys such as noodles, dive rings, floaties and beach balls can be dangerous if left in the pool.
“Children may try to grab these from the pool’s edge and fall in."
How to stay safe at a waterpark
Ali Beckman, Puddle Ducks Technical Director, said: "Never send a child down the slide on their own, not only are they going to be entering the slide pool area independently, they then have to exit the pool and wait for an adult.
"And wave pools should be avoided until your child is really confident with water going over their faces and you know they are able to regain their feet independently.
“Waterparks are often very busy places and it’s easy to lose sight of a child in a split second."
Meanwhile, new aquafit classes have also been launched at the site, described in the local paper as both iconic and world-famous.
How much longer people will be able to make the most of such facilities remains to be seen, with councillors viewing the facility as somewhere that could save them some money in the long run.
Its fans however, will be hoping it stays open for a long time to come yet.
University of Glasgow teacher Dominic Hinde previously labelled it as "hands down the best pool in Scotland".
Others have written on TripAdvisor, that they felt like they were abroad while swimming next to the Clyde Estuary.
One wrote: "I could have been in the Caribbean or Italy, where I was just back from.
"It was glorious, sun was shining and when you look up at the sky you could be anywhere in the world."
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Meanwhile, this 126-year-old lido in the UK is more like Greece.
And UK swimmers say this lido feels like Spain.
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