Sickness-stricken Bretton Water Park will reopen to the public on Saturday (25 August) - subject to getting a clean bill of health in final tests.
The £300,000 water park was abruptly closed four weeks ago after parents began reporting their children had been ill after playing at the complex.
Peterborough City Council closed the park to carry out tests and cleaning and revealed an outbreak of norovirus had caused 64 children to fall sick with diarrhoea and vomiting.
New facilities have now been installed at the park in a bid to prevent another outbreak, including setting up a drinking fountain, which had not been a feature of the park, plus improved baby changing and toilet facilities.
Signs have been put up urging people not to drink water in which children play and to wash their hands after changing their babies’ nappies.
Paul Phillipson, the council’s executive director of operations, said: “The intention is for Bretton Water Park to reopen to the public on Saturday morning.
“This will be dependant on water sample tests that were taken yesterday and the subsequent results which will be available tomorrow lunchtime.
“These are standard tests that we conduct on all water facilities prior to reopening.”
A council spokeswoman added: “The public will notice that we have provided a drinking fountain, baby changing facilities and a refurbishment of the toilet facilities.
“In addition, clear signage has been put up which advises users of the water park how best to behave at the facility.”
Over the past four weeks, council staff have carried out cleaning and tests at the venue which is now clear of any traces of the norovirus.
Investigations by health experts suggested that the bug may have been caused by a child already affected by the virus attending the park.
It’s now hoped that the new facilities will prevent another outbreak of the virus after it was revealed last week that people had previously been spotted filling drinks bottles with fountain water at the park.
Visitors had also been seen changing babies nappies on grass verges, just yards from the fountain area.
Mr Phillipson said previously: “You can never fully prevent the norovirus from spreading but you can make people more aware of ways to guard against it. I want the public to have every confidence in using the water park once it reopens.”
Factfile:
Virus struck attraction during a week of warm weather
The norovirus outbreak at Bretton Water Park struck during the week beginning July 23.
It’s believed that the outbreak may have been caused by one child who was already infected with the virus, visiting the park and passing it on.
However, council chiefs have revealed that the exact source of the outbreak may never be fully known.
There is no way of completely preventing the bug from spreading in a swimming pool.
The level of chlorine required to do this would actually be harmful to people’s skin.
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