Jubilee Park Lido at Woodhall Spa concerned about possible shortage of chlorine
The lack of access to chlorine is forcing some pools to close across the country
Granular chlorine shortages have threatened the closure of many pools across the country, but more types of chlorine are now likely to be harder to get a hold of, affecting even more swimming pools.
Due to the shortage, so far several pools have seen temporary closures, and Woodhall Spa outdoor pool have now said that it is possible chlorine shortages could lead to closure during the summer.
The chemical is used as a disinfectant; killing bacteria and cleaning the pool, noted as a necessity in the industry. Swimming in unclean water can cause infections and sickness, such as nausea, diarrhoea and germs like E. Coli can spread.
"Without it pools just won't be able to open"
The lack of the chemical is reportedly being blamed on multiple factors, Jubilee Park Lido Operations Manager, Joe Stanhope doesn't think there's just one thing to blame:
“What I'm understanding is that it's a combination of things and some of that is down to a factory closure that produces the chlorine but also there has been a shortage for a significant period of time and that is impacting on everyone."
Saxon Pool in Biggleswade, Tamworth's SnowDome and Bedfordshire indoor pools, have all been affected so far.
Mr Stanhope says some pools use a liquid form of chlorine, and sodium hypochlorite, which gets delivered to them every two weeks:
"What a lot of other pools are finding is that they're really struggling to know when that next delivery is going to be.
"Now, at the moment they're getting them, just. But if, for example, there was a week where we didn't get them, you'd see a lot of pools across the country that would have to close very quickly. "