Cathedral Square Fountains switched on - but no news on how long they will remain on for

Peterborough city centre’s controversial fountains were finally turned on yesterday afternoon – but there has been no news about how long they will be on for.

The Cathedral Square fountains – the centre piece of the 2010 £12 million city centre redevelopment – have been switched off for much of the summer due to technical faults.

But there was joy for some families yesterday afternoon, when the water feature was turned on, giving children the chance to play in the jets in the summer sunshine.

The council have said that the problem plaguing the fountains this year has thought to have been a faulty computer sensor – meaning they have only worked intermittently throughout the year.The council have been unable to provide an answer on when the fountains have been working this year – or for how many days.

The fountains are usually working from April until October, dependant on the weather conditions - apart from times that events or activities take place on Cathedral Square.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, following advice from public health and low footfall in the city centre, the fountains were turned off.

The council budgets around £18,000 a year to keep the city centre fountains running

The Peterborough Telegraph has contacted the city council for comment about whether the issue with the fountains has been fixed, and if the jets would be working for the rest of the summer.

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