Drowning stats 'will only get worse' unless more is done to save public pools

It's claimed the number of people in Scotland who die by drowning is only going to increase - unless more is done to keep local pools open.

That's according to the head of Scottish Swimming, John Lunn, who revealed the number of deaths here is already almost double that of the rest of the UK.

He's been giving evidence to a Holyrood committee, which is being urged to recognise the value of local swimming pools - and provide more financial support.

It comes as councillors in the Scottish Borders prepare to meet to discuss a report which recommends permanently closing three of the region's pools in a bid to keep the local leisure operator afloat.

Mr Lunn said: "Unfortunately, what we have seen, and we know will happen again over the summer, is instances of people having terrible accidents and there being drownings.

"You can't draw a cause and correlative effect in relation to learning to swim and school swimming in that respect, or public pools, but there's definitely an impact there that, as pools start to close and come under threat and are not replaced, we will see in the years to come, I believe, higher instances... those statistics will not improve they will only get worse."

MSPs on the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee heard 40 per cent of children in Scotland are now leaving primary school without learning the life-saving skill.

Mr Lunn added: "We have around 295 swimming pool facilities in this country, and those numbers are under-threat. We know that the ageing pool stock requires a lot of maintenance and ongoing energy costs, and we want to work with partners to discuss how we address those gaps, and ensure everybody in those local communities has access."

Among the pools to close over recent years are facilities in Alloa in Clackmannanshire and Bo'ness in West Lothian, which both played a part in Duncan Scott's journey to becoming Scotland's most decorated Olympian.

He said: "Scottish Swimming in 2023, on the future of swimming facilities in Scotland, estimated that £40.5 million is needed to maintain the current level of pool provision each year. That would build or refurbish potentially four swimming pools a year, but costs are rising and those figures are already out of date."

And he added: "Swim England had a study recently that estimated the lifespan of pools to be 38 years. Scotland currently has 122 public swimming pools (more than a third) over that threshold, which is quite an alarming statistic."

As well as proposals to close Selkirk Leisure Centre and Wilton Primary Swimming Pool in Hawick, a consultants report due to be presented to councillors in the Borders on Thursday (April 24th) also recommends the permanent closure of the Laidlaw Memorial Pool and Fitness Centre in Jedburgh, where local Olympian Lucy Hope once trained - "unless", it states, "significant external investment and a sustainable operational model can be identified".

That's despite around 600 people turning out at a public meeting earlier this year to voice their support for reopening the attraction.

Councillors here are keen to stress that no decisions will be made until communities have been consulted - although no consultation is planned over the future of the swimming pool in Galashiels, despite questions over public access to a new facility being built in the town's new secondary school, still to be answered.

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