Newry swimming pool 'going to the dogs', says service user

​It comes after further complaints were received about the unavailability of facilities at Newry Leisure Centre, which is less than a decade old.

One woman contacted the Newry Reporter last week to vent her frustration at the number of facilities which were out of order.

“Things are just dire,” she claimed.

“The kids’ pool is closed completely. There's mats in the big pool where the tiles have cracked.

“For two Mondays in a row we were held from going into the pool because there wasn't enough staff.

“On October 3, they closed down the gym and soft play area because it had to be deep cleaned. That happened following a meeting which had occurred due to the number of complaints.”

The woman, who uses the pool as often as three times a week, said that things are getting “progressively worse”.

She added: “I complained about a toilet in a changing room that hadn't been cleaned up. It took 10 days to get the toilet cleaned.

“This is not to do with the lifeguards or the staff - there are lots of vacancies and they’re stretched to the max.

“The leisure centre… is going to the dogs. Recently, the steam room was closed for three weeks. It opened again on a Friday and it was closed again by Monday. That’s no good."

Plans to repair the pool last December were put off after councillors forced a U-turn on the decision, arguing that they should be brought in to any future consultation on the leisure facility.

In August further delays to a closure strategy were discussed behind closed doors by the council’s strategy, policy and resources committee.

A council spokesperson said their leisure facilities “attract almost one million visitors each year with Newry Leisure Centre operating seven days per week.

"Maintaining high levels of cleanliness & service continuity is a priority & from time to time we may have to limit access to certain activities to carry out deep cleaning regimes or repair equipment to ensure customer expectations continue to be met.

"Leisure services, like a number of public & private sector industries, are experiencing challenges in relation to the recruitment of staff, however, we endeavour to ensure this has minimal impact on service provision.

"In terms of the pool tiles, the council continues to work with the original project team & contractors to determine a programme for repair.

"We will work closely with pool users & the public and will provide updates as soon as possible.”