We can't make a splash! Tettenhall Pool bone dry despite baking Bank Holiday
It was a scorching bank holiday weekend with temperatures reaching as high as 24°C – but many were disappointed they could not cool off with a dip in Tettenhall Pool.
The popular two ft deep pool is traditionally filled by Wolverhampton council at the end of May, in time for the bank holiday.
But following the weekend heatwave there are calls for it to be opened earlier in the season in future years, so residents can make the most of any early summer weather.
Councillor Jonathan Yardley, who represents Tettenhall Regis for Wolverhampton council, said several locals had stopped him in the street to ask him when both Tettenhall Pool and the nearby East Park Pool would be opening.
He said: “It’s something that crops up this time of year every year, as we always seem to have a period of hot weather at this time of year. But if you look back through records the pool is always opened over the bank holiday at the end of May.
“That’s how it has always been in living memory – and we always have a hot spell in the weeks before it opens. And then as soon as it opens the heavens open.”
But Councillor Yardley thinks the pool would get so much use if it was open earlier in the future years. He said: “It gets jaw-droppingly busy when it’s open. If you didn’t know it was here and you drove past you would think you were at Bournemouth beach on an August bank holiday.
“Sometimes there’s about 3,000 to 5,000 people there, it’s like a festival.”
A spokesperson from Wolverhampton council said: “Before we open, we need to make sure the pool is thoroughly cleaned, cracks that may have formed over the winter have been sealed, and the purity of the water is tested before the pools are officially opened to the public. Severn Trent Water also carries out the time-consuming task of filling each pool.
"Tettenhall Pool is currently being filled and with it holding 153,978 gallons of water, will take nearly four days to fill. It’s very unusual to have hot weather like this, at this time of year.”
The pool is expected to open in time for the weekend of May 25 to 28 May, and will remain open throughout the summer.
