RESIDENTS have voiced concerns over a community swimming pool which has been closed for almost a month.

Southminster pool, which is maintained by Southminster Primary School, has been shut since February 25 to repair a vital piece of equipment.

Residents spoke out at a parish council meeting.

Purdy Pearce said: “I use the pool for water aerobics, my child had swimming lessons with her school which she will miss out on now and my youngest daughter has pre-school lessons, so we are all really missing the pool.

“I have been using the pool for eight years.

“They are fantastic, but the pool closures really have an impact on the community.”

Celia Henson said: “The pool infrastructure was paid for by the residents’ fundraising efforts for the school many years ago and then sold on with the school to the academy.

“The residents now have no control over the pool and despite our best efforts to find out exactly why these problems are taking so long, we are just getting fobbed off with a vague statement.”

In a statement, SW Swimming said: “Southminster School are working to have this resolved urgently by having some work done including replacing a vital piece of machinery that has stopped working.

“We are advised it would be unsafe to open until this work is completed.”

School executive head Pauline Ward said: “Please be assured that I am actively working to get the matters attended to so that the pool can re-open as soon as possible.”