NEWS

Swimmers told to stay away from Bude Sea Pool after damage to sluice gates

Swimmers have been told not to use Bude Sea Pool after damage to its sluice gates has left the pool dangerous to swim in.

Friends of Bude Sea Pool, a local charity that helps maintain the pool, say they have had to completely remove the pool’s sluice gates after they were damaged by ‘elemental deterioration’.

To minimise the risk of injury, the charity has told swimmers not to go in the sea pool until the gates have been fixed, irrespective of the level of water in the pool itself.

The pool’s sluice gates control the water level as the pool fills up and drains during high and low tide.

Without the gates, as the tide lowers, the water is forced out of the narrow gate aperture causing strong water flow, which can be dangerous to swimmers.

The Friends of Bude Sea Pool Team say they hope to fix the problem as soon as possible, as Government guidelines allow, and have thanked swimmers for their kind words and support on social media.

They say they are already in touch with local contractors regarding this and hope to rectify the problem as soon as possible.

They also ask that if swimmers are in the position to be able to further help the pool financially, to consider making a donation through the Sea Pool website: https://www.budeseapool.org/donate/

Whilst the charity has some contingency funds available, they say this is a ‘sizeable task’ that needs immediate action.

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