A NEW multi-million pound Worcester swimming pool will not leave visitors ripped-off – that’s the pledge from council chiefs amid fears of rocketing prices.

Councillor Jabba Riaz, who is leading the project, said he is “not blind” to the current economic situation and does not intend to back hiked-up admission fees.

It comes amid worries Worcester could go the same way as other parts of the country in building new pools before massively increasing prices.

Last November a new £25 million pool opened called Westminster Lodge in St Albans, Hertfordshire, with fees due to go up by more than 50 per cent in April next year.

And in January last year a £12.2 million pool opened in Harborne, Birmingham, with users complaining of prices being about 20 per cent higher than other council sites. Coun Riaz revealed consultants working on Worcester’s new proposed facility have said a five per cent price rise would bring in an extra £1 million in revenue, but it was purely hypothetical. “I visited the pool in St Albans myself and it’s a totally different market to Worcester. It’s a commuter town and the facilities are top class, on a par with David Lloyd,” he said. “The financial modelling we are looking at is based on the current prices, and nothing has been decided yet. The consultants said a five per cent rise would plug £1 million of the shortfall but it’s completely hypothetical.

“From my perspective, I’m not blind to the current economic situation out there.”

At the moment swimmers pay £3.50 to use the pool at Sansome Walk and £3.60 at Perdiswell, with various discounted offers for membership and use of the other facilities.

Councillor Paul Denham, the Labour group’s deputy leader, said: “An area like St Albans is rich compared to Worcester – it’s very important we don’t see big rises. If they do go up, it won’t take much of an increase to put people off, so we must be careful.”