COUNCILLORS have slammed poor organisation which left two seaside paddling pools closed to the public at the weekend.

Neither Brighton’s King’s Road paddling pool near the i360, nor the paddling pool at Hove Lagoon were open to the hordes of children and their parents enjoying the seaside on what was a scorching bank holiday.

Freedom Leisure, which operates the pools as well as the city’s leisure centres on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council, found both pools failed tests for bacteriological infection on Friday.

They had to remain closed to drain the pools, treat them and refill them with water which then needs to be tested.

But councillors asked why everything was left so late that pools had to be closed on one of the hottest weekends of the year.

Wish ward councillor Robert Nemeth said: “Councillor Garry Peltzer Dunn and I are hugely disappointed that Hove Lagoon’s pool was out of action.

“The mind boggles as to why the checks weren’t carried out a day or two earlier so that any problems could be remedied in advance.

“This is yet another example of the Labour administration neglecting the basics to the detriment of local residents and our local tourism industry.”

The news emerged from a letter to councillors from seafront development manager Toni Manuel.

In her letter of Friday, seen by The Argus, she wrote: “As you will be aware major work to the underground pipework at the King’s Road paddling pool has been ongoing since early April.

“Despite the tight timescales for this project I can report that the contractor is due to complete this work and be off site by the end of today as planned.

“Unfortunately, despite everyone’s best efforts, our leisure operator Freedom Leisure has reported to us today that the water quality test taken earlier this week and which is required in order to open the facility has failed due to bacteriological contamination.

“As a result, the paddling pool is currently being drained and will be chemically treated and refilled over the weekend.”

She said Hove’s paddling pool had failed the first of its required monthly water tests due to bacteriological contamination.

She wrote: “The water test requires 48 hours of incubation before the results can be confirmed which means that due to the bank holiday weekend the earliest the test results will be known is Tuesday.”

She said safety and hygiene of leisure facilities was of paramount importance to the council. Freedom Leisure did not respond.