John Harris rightly draws attention to the public health value of swimming pools (The story of Britain’s pools and leisure centres is one of neglect, decay and the lies of levelling up, 15 January), but he might also have mentioned the potential of natural bodies of water and the scandals that prevent greater use of them for swimming. The London conurbation, for example, includes chains of lakes, many of which are suitable for swimming, as well as former docks and stretches of the Thames and other rivers that between them could provide far more swimming opportunities than open air pools ever have.
The main barrier in the case of the rivers is the dumping of sewage, which may require investment to fix – but that investment is essential for other environmental reasons anyway. In the case of the lakes and docks, the main barrier is simply that landowners – public authorities as well as private landlords – either ban swimming or permit it only in designated areas, often during restricted hours and with significant entry fees.
