Anger at Link4Life over Castleton Swimming Pool closure

The headmistress of Belfield Primary School was kept in the dark

Parents have reacted angrily to having to find out via Rochdale Online that Castleton Swimming Pool closed its doors in early May due to potentially deadly Legionella being found in the water system.

Legionella is the bacteria which causes Legionnaires’ disease – a serious lung infection which can sometimes lead to pneumonia and even death.

The pool, which runs various swimming classes for schools and children’s group Aqua Bears, closed on 9 May after tests showed legionella present but most parents only found out the real reason for the closure when they read about it on Rochdale Online on 18 May.

Asked why organisations who use the pool had not been alerted to the Legionella issue, Link4Life said: "Our policy and practice is to give detailed information on these tests or their results in the interest and protection of public health.

"The safety and welfare of all of our visitors and users is paramount, and remains Link4Life’s priority."

Link4Life did give "detailed information" to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Public Health England and Rochdale Borough Council but pool users were not notified.

The headmistress of Belfield Primary School was kept in the dark. In a letter to parents, Margaret Farrell explained that the school had been told only that there was a "parts failure".

Kerry Walsh has three children who all use the pool. She said: “We’ve all been failed by Link4Life, our kids could have been in real danger and no one wanted to tell us anything. We were told it was a part that was unsafe, that’s not the same as Legionella is it?

“If it was their kids in danger they’d be annoyed too. I didn’t even know about Legionella until I saw the article on Rochdale Online. We were lied to and it’s not on.”

Stacey Roberts has a daughter who uses the pool. She said: “We were told it was a technical fault and there was no mention of Legionella until we saw the article published. I was absolutely disgusted to find out that way.

“It turned out my daughter just had a virus but it’s not the point, we should have been told what was going on.”

When asked to comment on why the Council had not alerted pool users, Andrea Fallon, Rochdale Borough Council’s director of public health and wellbeing, said: "The council and Link4Life has been assured by Public Health England that the steps taken were in line with recommended practice and that an already small risk to public health was reduced by the actions taken.

"When making decisions about what information should be communicated organisations must consider and balance the circumstances against creating unnecessary public anxiety.”

A local GP, who asked not be named, said: "It is a difficult balance between alerting the public so that parents can watch out for symptoms and causing panic... but if my child had been swimming at the pool I would have wanted to be told."