£13k cost of swimming pool damage surveys revealed

A total of £13,000 has been spent on investigations into the cause of damage at the the main pool at the Isle of Man's National Sports Centre, it has emerged.

A 16ft (5m) stretch of two of the lanes in the pool have been closed since November 2023 after a fault was identified with the flooring at the centre in Douglas.

Education, Sport and Culture Minister Daphne Caine told Tynwald the department had been "eager to understand the root cause" of the issue at the pool.

She confirmed a series of investigations and specialist reports had now been completed, and the department was currently considering the findings.

The swimming complex at the sports centre has faced a number of problems since a £4.4m revamp began in 2018, including lengthy delays to the reopening of the leisure pool and water slides.

Calling for an update on the progress of the investigations, Jason Moorhouse MHK said the timescale to find a resolution had been a concern.

The costs had been £10,500 for a site visit and report and £2,500 for material analysis, Caine confirmed.

Officers were also in dialogue with the main contractor about the outcome of the surveys and the minister said she would be able to provide a further progress report once those meetings had taken place.

The department had expected repair work would have been completed by September 2025 to ensure school swimming would not be affected, but that was now unlikely, she added.

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