WIRRAL Council is to repossess a Byrne Avenue swimming pool after it goes into administration

Jun 5 2009 By Staff Reporter

WIRRAL Council is to repossess a swimming pool which went into administration in its 75th anniversary year.

The council’s cabinet has agreed to commence repossession proceedings following the closure of Byrne Avenue baths in Rock Ferry in February.

Parents who planned to take their children to the Wirral pool for swimming lessons during the February half term were shocked by the sudden closure.

It closed a day before the school holiday started and many had already paid £30 per child for six weekly lessons and an extra £15 for lessons during the school holiday.

When parents arrived at the leisure centre, they found a notice on the door from the directors saying the centre had closed down.

The notice said there were "insufficient funds" to keep the baths operating.

After the closure, Wirral Council said it would do its best to accommodate children who were booked in for lessons at Europa Pools in Birkenhead or the Oval in Bebington.

But those who did transfer their lessons to the council facilities were told they had to pay the full cost of the tuition because Byrne Avenue was run by a trust and not by the council.