Hundreds of swimming pools may have to close because they cannot afford to heat the water, new figures suggest.
Pool operators are being hit by the energy crisis and soaring utility bills and are trying to find ways to reduce their consumption in a bid to keep expenditure down.
Estimates suggest the cost of heating Britain’s swimming pools could rise to £1.25 billion this year, from £500 million in 2019 before the pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis.
UKActive, which promotes gyms and leisure facilities in Britain, ran a nationwide survey and found that 79 per cent of public leisure facilities may be forced to close their doors in the next six months due to financial strain brought about by spiralling overheads.
Roughly two million school children every year learn to swim in the UK and the leisure sector has been estimated to save health services almost half a billion pounds a year in reducing society’s health burden.
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