Lido to reopen for good weather after criticism

An outdoor swimming pool is set to open ahead of schedule after a council was criticised for keeping it closed until July.

The Abbey Meadows outdoor pool, in Abingdon, will now reopen on Thursday until the end of the weekend.

Vale of White Horse District Council, which runs the facility, previously said running it was "expensive" and it would remain closed until 19 July.

But the council said Better UK, which manages the site, had decided to trial opening on a "weather dependent" basis, at no extra cost to the local authority.

Councillor Andy Crawford, the council's leisure facilities chief, said: "This is such welcome news – and I'm sure it will be positively received by everyone who looks forward to enjoying the pool in the warm weather.

"This [decision] means the pool can open outside the usual school holiday opening hours for the first time in years without us having to divert funding from other important council services."

The pool will now open on weekdays and weekends when the weather is good, until it fully reopens in July.

Better UK said it had been "pulling out all the stops for this new early opening to capitalise on the great summer weather too".

Kevin Williams, the firm's manager of its partnership with Vale of White Horse, added: "Combined with the splash pad and the kiosk, we're proud that we can provide local residents with such a fantastic way to spend their leisure time, ahead of – and during – the summer holidays."

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