'Whole range of plans' for seawater pool

Bosses of the UK's largest saltwater lido have defended its summer opening hours and said they have a "range of plans for next season".

Giles Gould, chief operating officer, said Jubilee Pool in Penzance had received "over 1,000 bits of customer feedback" since it opened for the year in April.

Concerns raised included the pool and cafe's opening hours of 10:00-17:00 BST, with customers wanting to use the facilities later into the evenings.

Gould said the pool was heavily reliant on tide times and conditions, stressing that, while his team was "working hard" to address any issues raised it was difficult to deal with some in the peak of the summer season.

He said: "We are doing the best we can. We know what needs to be done, our standards are pretty high but we don't always get it right.

"Right now, we are open seven days a week - we're open from 10:00 through to 18:00, except Fridays when we've extended our hours until 19:00."

He said the cafe was "essentially open 30 minutes before the pool opens and closes 30 minutes before the pool closes".

The triangular sea water pool was built in 1935, with a depth which fluctuates with the tides.

It holds about 5 million litres (1.1 million gallons) of water and first opened as part of King George V's Silver Jubilee.

Gould explained its unique nature brought its own set of challenges, with many out of his team's control.

He said: "We are a Grade II listed building, some of our facilities date back to the 1930s, that's just the nature of the beast.

"But the team are working really hard to keep the place clean, tidy, presentable and welcoming."

He added that the pool was fed with sea water through valves, which could only be opened and shut at certain tide times.

It also required a 36-hour window to empty, clean and refill when needed, which could impact operation hours, staff said.

Gould said: "We just ask people to be patient with us. We've got a whole range of plans for next season.

"I appreciate that doesn't always help people for this season, but we're doing a lot of work for next season.

"If anybody has got any queries come and talk to me.

"I'm here and I'm available, and I'm more than happy to show people around and talk through the issues and the concerns people have got.

"We want to keep as many people happy as we can."

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