A shortage of lifeguards and swimming instructors in Glasgow is causing a widespread closure of baby and kids swimming pools.
Despite swimming facilities reopening following lockdown, pools designed for babies and young children are set to remain closed for the foreseeable future at Glasgow Life venues.
The Glasgow Club operator has said a shortage of swim staff has forced them to keep the pools closed until further notice.
Safety protocols mean that there must be 'strict user to staff ratios' at all times, with the number of staff required 'even higher' in the case of baby children's pools.
The number of lifeguards currently working for the charity is only enough to safely open their main leisure pools.
Glasgow Life said attempts to fill the lifeguard and swim instructor roles have proven difficult with a recent recruitment drive returning just 39 responses.
Similar issues are being experienced down south with Swim England warning that half a million children could miss out on the chance to learn how to swim.
The nationwide shortage of swimming teachers currently stands at more than 6,200.
The sport and cultural venue operator is also facing issues with the £2.8 million refurbishment of one of their most popular adult pools due to the pandemic.
The pool at Glasgow Club Scotstoun was due to reopen in 'early in 2022' following a two-year closure but the reopening has now been pushed back until June.
Glasgow Life warned that the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, as well as the lack of material availability and delivery being felt worldwide, have resulted in delays to the refurbishment being carried out in the pool hall.
A spokesperson said: “Like most of the UK leisure industry, and many other sectors, we are experiencing difficulty in recruiting staff: most notably lifeguards and swimming instructors.
“In order to keep everyone safe while using a pool there are strict user to staff ratios, and the ratio is even higher in the case of baby and children’s pools. At the moment, the number of lifeguards available to us in each of our facilities with pools means we can only safely open the main leisure pools.
“Last week we closed recruitment for more than 30 new lifeguards across the city, both full-time and part-time. These vacancies were advertised from mid-March and, unfortunately, applicant numbers were very low, with just 39 candidates applying for the roles. Similarly, Glasgow Life also delivers a lifeguard training qualification course which has had poor uptake and has been postponed until later in May for this reason.
“We’re working as hard as we can to recruit and train staff to allow us to open our pools more fully, but we cannot do this unless we are able to recruit suitable candidates. It is of paramount importance that we ensure everyone visiting Glasgow Life facilities has the best experience possible, and we will never compromise customer safety.”
