REGULAR users of Meadowlands Swimming Pool in Tavistock have hit out at the ?appalling? state of the facility. Dirty changing rooms and pool area, damaged lockers, showers that don?t work properly and erratic water temperatures are some of the complaints being vented by angry swimmers. However, leisure officer for the borough council Terry Beckett said the council was currently discussing a number of improvements to the pool with its contractors Leisure Connection who were responsible for the day to day running of the facility. Dr Ann Stirland, who recently returned to Meadowlands after a break of several months, said she was ?disgusted by the lack of attention to the pool?. ?The changing rooms are dirty and smell, fewer and fewer of the lockers are in an operable condition, the whole area of the pool is always dirty and there is generally an unhealthy smell about the whole facility,? she said. Dr Stirland said residents of Tavistock were paying high council tax and expected decent standards at their local swimming pool: ?Tavistock is now a holiday destination for an increasing number of people and has a reputation to nurture as the best small market town ? the present condition of our pool can only detract from this.? Regular swimmer Joan Torvell said when she attended the pool last week there were somewhere in the region of 40 dead flies and bits of used plaster on one of the pool islands. Lumps of hair were also a frequent sight around the pool. ?Meadowlands is such a wonderful amenity for Tavistock ? it is very well used particularly in the school holidays but health and safety is especially important when lots of children are using the pool. At the moment it looks tacky and unclean.? Kay Nicholson is a member of the Meadowlands Pool Users Group which liaises with owners of the facility West Devon Borough Council to pass on views and concerns. Hygiene and cleanliness concerns have been expressed to councillors together with comments about the cubicles, showers, draughts and the cafe which has a very limited range of refreshments. The same problems were continuing without any feeling of action being taken, said Miss Nicholson. ?If action is taken there has been an immediate burst of activity and then it just peters out again,? she said. ?We appreciate that some of the problems can only be solved over a period of time and some with quite a financial commitment but there are other things which can be done now.? Pool users fear that all the money is being ploughed into the new leisure facility at Okehampton and Meadowlands is being left to degrade until it is unusable and will have to be closed. However Mr Beckett said there are ?definitely no plans? to run the facility down. He said Leisure Connection is only in year two of a ten year contract, ?The leisure pool has been recognised by the council as a significant aspect of leisure provision for residents and visitors alike.? He said it was the intention of the council and its contractors to improve all aspects of Meadowlands. These included repairs, improvements and replacements to a defective air handling unit, shower pumps, lockers and cubicles and options for dealing with the acoustic ceiling tiles. He said the pool temperature readings were maintained between 29 and 31 degrees centigrade (the norm for indoor pools) but the air temperature was sometimes subject to fluctuation.
