Thousands take an autumn dip at Peterborough Lido - as city waits for report that will decide Regional Pool's future

Thousands of people have braved autumnal weather for a unseasonal dip at Peterborough Lido over the past couple of months – as the city waits for a report that will decide the future of the Regional Pool.

Inspectors have been at the Regional Pool over the last month, looking at the situation with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

The future of the building has been called into question because of RAAC, which can be dangerous. It is thought there is a large amount of RAAC in the pool building, which was built in 1976, and cllr Steve Allen, who was deputy leader of the council when the pool had to shut, said last month the future of the building would depend on what was revealed in the report.

Inspections started on October 13, and were scheduled to last four weeks.

The pool was shut in September, initially to deal with an asbestos problem – but while it was closed, RAAC was found.

To enable swimmers to keep active while the Regional Pool is closed, Peterborough Lido has been open, extending the season that normally ends in the summer into the autumn.

A spokesperson for Peterborough Limited said the autumnal sessions at the outdoor pool had remained popular, despite the worsening weather.

The spokesperson said: “The Lido will continue to remain open during November. We have reduced the opening hours now to 7am until 1pm, Monday to Friday and Sundays. The early morning swim session continues to be well attended.

“We've had nearly 11,500 swimmers at the Lido since September when the Regional closed.”

The COPS swimming club has been campaigning to save the pool because of the impact the closure has had on their work.

The Regional Pool has not been the only building impacted by RAAC in Peterborough.

Work is currently ongoing at The Key Theatre to ensure it is ready to open in time for the Christmas Panto season, while part of Peterborough College had to be closed off due to the presence of RAAC in the main auditorium.