By Jonathan BarnesTHE future of a popular outdoor swimming pool has been secured after a dispute over the running of the facility was resolved.Talks over the management of the Constable Swimming Pool in East Bergholt broke down earlier this year, throwing its future into doubt.

By Jonathan Barnes

THE future of a popular outdoor swimming pool has been secured after a dispute over the running of the facility was resolved.

Talks over the management of the Constable Swimming Pool in East Bergholt broke down earlier this year, throwing its future into doubt.

The pool, at East Bergholt Sports Centre, had been open to the public between May and September for more than 20 years, but has remained closed this year.

Now trustees of the pool have announced they have signed a 21-year contract with Suffolk County Council and the governors of East Bergholt High School, which runs the sports centre.

They have formed a limited company to run the trust and secured funding for a number of improvements.

These include an automatic chemical dosing system, a security fence and CCTV coverage, all of which will be installed as soon as possible.

But difficulties in getting lifeguards mean the pool will not be able to open to the public this season and swimmers will have to wait until next May for the reopening.

The trustees of the Constable Swimming Pool Ltd released a statement saying they were “delighted” to reach an agreement on the matter.

It said: “It was the intention of the trust to open the pool this season. However, due to delayed signing of the contract it has been impossible to secure lifeguards with the necessary qualification/clearance for this year.

“Therefore, we regret that we will not be able to open the pool this season. It is our intent to overcome any similar problem in the future by organising our own lifeguard and First Aid courses prior to next year's opening in May.

“The trust would like to thank all those parties and individuals who have given us their support and worked so hard enabling us to arrive at a successful conclusion enabling the contract to be finally signed.”

A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council said: “We are really pleased that everything has been resolved so that the community in East Bergholt will be able to have access to swimming facilities.”

jonathan.barnes@eadt.co.uk