Historic Sussex lido forced to close after underground leak

Saltdean Lido informed customers, via social media, that there would be ‘structural risks’ in keeping the venue open.

This comes just four months after an £11m restoration project was completed to restore the UK’s only Grade II* listed coastal lido.

“We want to take a moment to provide you with an update on recent developments regarding the status of our pool facilities and also share details of the significant upgrades we’re undertaking,” the Facebook post read.

"We have experienced a few underground leaks around the pool in recent years and again earlier this year. We now have another leak and it is apparent that we have a problem with the pipework all around the pool. It was our intention to rectify this latest leak and then go on to improve the pipe connections around the pool.

“Despite our best efforts to keep the pool open during this period, we have been advised that there are structural risks in doing this and the water level should be reduced while excavation takes place.

"This means, very sadly, that it is necessary to close the pool until these essential works are completed. There is no good time to do this but on balance winter is better than summer.”

The last swimming session will be tomorrow (Wednesday, November 13), the management team at Saltdean Lido said.

They added: “We will be working as hard as we can to reopen the pool in three to four weeks. Our team is committed to minimising any inconvenience caused by this closure. We will keep you updated on our progress and will notify you in advance of the reopening date.

"Our intention is to improve the quality of the pipework so that we can hopefully enjoy at least a few years of leak free operation.

“This was not a cost we were expecting and we already had plans for improvements to the pool area this winter to address other legacy issues.

"Most of these will still go ahead and include replacing the roof of the changing rooms and replacing the temporary window in the changing room reception area with a permanent curved glass window.”

This work will start to bring the changing rooms ‘up to the quality of the main building’ and ‘in keeping with the Saltdean Lido heritage site’.

The lido team also recently took delivery of a pool cover which will, when the pool reopens, ‘enable us to maintain the temperature of the pool’, while also ‘reducing the very significant utility costs’.

The statement added: “We do understand how important the pool is to everyone and we are doing everything we can to have these repairs completed as quickly as possible. We’re also working on the best ways to support our valued season ticket holders during this period, and will be in touch once we have more updates on the repairs.

“We sincerely apologise for any disruption to your plans and thank you for your understanding and patience as we make these vital improvements. Your support is invaluable as we work to enhance and preserve Saltdean Lido, ensuring it remains a beautiful and functional space for the community to enjoy.

“We hope you will continue to support us through gym memberships, attending our events and enjoying the café and restaurant and look forward to welcoming you back into the pool soon!”