The reopening of a popular Merseyside leisure centre has been delayed.
Splash World swimming baths in Southport closed in December 2019 for a refurbishment that was only meant to last eight months. Contractors working on the refurbishment have now told the council they are facing "unforeseen challenges" in securing specialist resources and it is likely that the opening of the indoor water park will not happen until next year.
The council has said that work to reopen Splash World is "continuing in the face of international, industry-wide supply chain issues." In June a report was published calling for a decision to be made on funding, it has been stated that an estimated £270,000 will be needed to pay for further repair costs.
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In May last year it was stated the closure had come as a result of “significant health and safety health and safety concerns stemming from failure in the pool tile surfaces”. Sefton Council had lodged a legal claim against Splash World’s original developers relating to “latent defects” at the facility after spending “several years” trying to resolve the issue informally. Splash World did reopen during the pandemic when it was used as a test centre.
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “Despite a range of nationwide challenges beyond our control, we are making progress on completing the works and welcoming visitors back to Splash World but unfortunately not as quickly as hoped. We would like to take this opportunity to place on record our thanks to our various teams and contractors, who have been doing their best in difficult conditions to carry out these essential refurbishment works.
“I would also like to thank local residents and the many thousands of people who enjoy Splash World for their patience while this work is carried out and to assure them that we are working to get the centre open as soon as possible for them.” Opened in 2009, Splash World usually welcomes thousands of families from across the North West of England each year. Features include fast flumes and river rides, a relaxing bubble spa and toddler area, and a water play area.
"An announcement about the official re-opening date of Splash World will be made in due course."
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