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20
May
Harrogate district paddling pools may not open in time for sizzling bank holiday
Temperatures are finally set to soar this May bank holiday – but children may not be able to cool off in local paddling pools.
North Yorkshire Council owns and operates public paddling pools in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.
They are scheduled to open each year for the summer on the Saturday of the late May bank holiday and close on the Friday of the first week back at school in September.
This means the pools are closed for almost nine months a year.
But with temperatures set to approach 30 degrees next week, the council has warned the paddling pools might not be open in time for the start of the heatwave.
They are due to open on Saturday (May 23), but the local authority said due to “essential maintenance work, the paddling pools may not open in time for the late May bank holiday weekend”.
It promised to provide an update when it had more information.
Harrogate weather forecast for May half-term. Credit: Met Office
The notice will disappoint families and raises questions on why the maintenance work was not completed during the winter and early spring months – questions the Stray Ferret has put to North Yorkshire Council.
We will publish the council’s response when we receive it.
Councillor Andrew Williams, a member of the Conservative and Independents group who represents Ripon Minster and Moorside, posted on social media that he had been told the council was "having issues securing a contractor to undertake the annual maintenance work prior to filling the pool".
The paddling pools are supposed to open daily during summer and are free to enjoy.
They can be found at Harrogate’s Valley Gardens, Knaresborough’s Bebra Gardens and the Borrage Green Play Area in Ripon.
At the time of writing, the Met Office has forecast the hot and dry weather to begin this Friday, when local schools break for half-term. Temperatures could then reach around 26 degrees across the Harrogate district next week.
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