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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Emily Coady-Stemp & Amy Walker

Council closes paddling pool after parents say new £140k floor is 'too slippery'

A public paddling pool has closed just days after reopening following a £141,000 refurbishment because parents have complained its floor is too slippery.

The pool at Stoke Park, in Guildford, Surrey, had been resurfaced after the old floor started to disintegrate.

It was announced as open by Guildford Borough Council last Friday, but closed temporarily on Wednesday, SurreyLive reports.

According to the council, parents had been in touch to say "parts of the floor are too slippery at the moment".

A notice on their website says the closure, due to "reports that the floor is unsafe", is temporary while efforts are being made to reopen the pool as soon as possible.

The pool was closed just days after reopening when parents complained the floor was unsafe (Guildford Borough Council)

James Steel, lead councillor for environment, said: "We are reviewing with the contractor the pool surface to identify the timeline to reopen the pool. We will update as soon as we have more information."

Announcing the pool's reopening on 27 May, Cllr Steel said: ""The new surface features multicoloured aquatic creatures and the water jets, but will feel firmer than the previous surface. It is still important to take care to avoid slipping in this exciting environment."

At a January meeting of the authority's executive advisory board, councillors heard that the surface of the pool was breaking away, meaning filters were having to be regularly cleared in order to keep the water hygienic. The pool was last resurfaced five years ago.

A Facebook post by the borough council on Wednesday said: "We’re really very sorry that we have to close the paddling pool temporarily as families have told us parts of the floor are too slippery at the moment.

"We have closed [it] to keep you safe while we look into and fix this with the contractor. Thank you for your patience. We are as disappointed as you and hope to open again as soon as we can."

At a meeting of the borough council's executive on Thursday (May 26), before the closure was announced, council leader Joss Bigmore (Residents for Guildford and Villages, Christchurch) had raised further concerns into the future of the pool because of a nationwide shortage of pool chemicals.

He said: "We're confident we'll be okay for the next few weeks, but I apologise in advance if we have temporary closures because of lack of chemicals. We're doing our best to make sure that supply chains are robust."

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