WITH one of the fastest rising rivers in the country flowing through Otley,, the appalling state of the town's only public swimming pool has long been a matter of concern.

At its height, more than 20 years ago, the swimming pool was one of the most popular places in the town. Schoolchildren took valuable swimming lessons there and there were more than 300 junior members of the swimming club.

There has long been a tradition of swimming in the river in the summer, making the ability to swim an absolute necessity. That tradition has never gone away, but the state of the swimming pool at Prince Henry's Grammar School has got worse and worse - while pools in neighbouring Harrogate and Shipley have remained high.

With its out-of-the-ark changing rooms, faulty heating system and broken tiles, not to mention lack of disabled facilities, the pool has become a no-go area for families. And even the swimming club has gone into limbo - after all, how can a swimming club survive without a pool?

Last year, hopes were raised when the city council poured £28,000 into putting together a lottery bid which would have seen the modernisation of the pool - but that failed and soon after Prince Henry's itself put some of the school's own funds into making urgent repairs.

But at long last, £345,000 is being spent on the pool. It won't mean a state-of-the-art pool, but it will mean people can use it again. The changing rooms will be useable and the heating and ventilation will work.

The pool, once described by the head of Leeds leisure as the worst in Leeds, will be open for business in the spring. Now all that remains is to encourage people back - it might be wise of the council to offer free swimming for a while.

After all, it has been lack of maintenance by the council for many years that has got the pool into its current state.