Lido reopens ahead of schedule after backlash

A lido is set to reopen ahead of schedule after residents voiced their frustration that the pool would remain closed until July.

Abbey Meadows Outdoor Pool in Abingdon will open to swimmers from midday on Thursday to coincide with an expected rise in temperatures.

The heated pool will operate on a weather-dependent programme until 18 July when it will reopen fully as planned.

It comes after local residents said it was "disappointing to be in the meadow" and see the pool closed during a record-breaking heatwave last month.

Assistant manager Rebekah Webster said: "With another heatwave on the horizon, our team has pulled out all the stops to get the outdoor pool safe, clean and ready to welcome swimmers this weekend.

"We recognise the value that access to an open-air facility such as Abbey Meadows offers during hot weather and look forward to welcoming local residents to the pool this weekend."

Swimming sessions lasting for 50 minutes can be booked through the Better Leisure website.

Vale of White Horse District Council - that outsource the pool's running to Better Leisure - said the reopening was "great news".

It follows frustration from locals after the pool did not reopen towards the end of May when Oxfordshire experienced 30C temperatures.

Elizabeth Simpson, chair of Friends of Abbey Meadow Outdoor Pool, argued it would have provided a safer alternative to swimming in the nearby River Thames.

She acknowledged staffing costs were "prohibitive" but added that the pool was built to "provide a safe environment to discourage people from risking swimming in the river".

Last summer, the pool's reopening followed a similar pattern - as it resumed in the middle of June 2025, following criticism from the local community.