A STUNNING lido with quaint sandstone surround has been lying closed since early 2024, despite a multi-million pound makeover.
Cleveland Pools was open for just four months after receiving over £9 million for a revamp – and it hasn’t reopened since.
The lido underwent a major revamp but was only open for four months[/caption]
On its opening weekend, tickets were so popular that the crashed the system[/caption]
The pool in Bath is the UK’s oldest lido and reopened in 2023 after 40 years of closure.
The locals were delighted after they pursued a 20-year campaign to reopen the pool in Somerset.
When it opened its doors for the very first time in September 2023, tickets for the Sunday free swim were so popular that the system crashed.
Despite its popularity, just four months later, the lido was forced to close again after it was completely flooded by heavy rainfall during Storm Henk.
At the time, Cleveland Pools Trust apologised and Paul Simons, chair of the trust, said: “Once the river level has dropped the pools will be pumped out, jet washed down, re-filled and then the treatment circulation will recommence.
He added that the time frame for that “should take a number of days, not weeks.”
Fast forward almost two years, and the lido has still not reopened.
To make matters worse, the lido has fallen into disrepair, leaving locals angry that all that work resulted in only a month’s use the pool.
Talking to the BBC, one man said the lido has become “filthy”.
He told them: “It’s a mess, it’s full of leaves – it’s sad because I think that money could have been so better spent.”
There are a lot of historic lidos across the UK that are currently hoping to reopen – like Sharpness Point in Tynemouth.
The outdoor pool at Sharpness Point in North Tyneside has been closed since the mid-90s and locals want it restored.
The lido has been around for 100 years, and now the community is campaigning to restore it for the possible cost of £10 million.
On its debut weekend back in 1925, thousands of people descended to use the lido, with people staying until it closed at midnight.
It was originally a salt water tidal pool, and a popular venue for local families and day-trippers until it closed in the mid-1990s.
However, with warmer summers and the appeal of outdoor swimming returning, locals want it to reopen.
Recently, a group called Friends of Tynemouth Outdoor Pool have been running a campaign to revive the site.
For anyone wanting to take a dip to beat the heat, here are all the lidos in the UK mapped – with water slides, cocktail bars and some are even FREE to enter.
Plus the UK lido that will reopen this summer after three years – and an £8.75 million upgrade.
Cleveland Baths was forced to close after heavy rainfall and hasn’t reopened since[/caption]
