A burst pipe is being blamed for the cracking of solar panels at Shipley Pool which led to swimmers being asked to leave the building after fears there had been an explosion.
Last week around 30 people, including a mums and toddlers group, were asked to leave the pool and given foil blankets to keep them warm after a build-up of pressure in pipework caused damage and a loud bang. Firefighters raced to the scene after the alarm was raised.
Yesterday, a Bradford Council spokesman said work was still ongoing to determine the extent of the repair works.
“At present it appears to be just a section of pipework and minor roof damage. Any repair work will not be paid for by the Council, but by the specialist contractor who installed the system and/or the manufacturer. The entire solar panel system will be rechecked and commissioned before being put back into use,” he said.
The pool only re-opened in January following an £878,000 upgrade which included the solar panels on its roof. Its energy-saving credentials were praised by Shipley’s green councillors, who said it should be used as a model for other pool developments across the district. Now, a probe will be carried out into last week’s incident.
The Council spokesman said: “We have also commissioned an independent report to be carried out separately to the installer’s and manufacturer’s reports to ascertain what went wrong and to ensure the system does not fail again. This will include a full safety check.”
The pool was evacuated as a precaution on Wednesday during parent and tots and older peoples’ swimming sessions. Foil blankets were given out and Carers’ Resource charity, based opposite the pool in Iver Way, offered shelter.
Carolyne Coyle from the charity said: “One of our staff heard a bang and looked out of the window to see people coming out of the pool’s side entrance in their costumes and bare feet, some were carrying children. They looked a bit vulnerable so we invited them in to get warm and dry. We gave them warm drinks and juice and some chocolates we’d been given. Everyone was in good spirits considering. We were just happy to help out.”