A POPULAR swimming baths in Deeside is under threat of closure due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, it has been said.

Cambrian Aquatics Centre, in Connah's Quay, has been open since 1962 but, like many other swimming baths, faces the very real possibility of shutting down if coronavirus restrictions remain in place much longer.

The swimming baths was taken over as a Flintshire Council-run not-for-profit social enterprise in 2016.

Prior to the pandemic, the centre had roughly 1,200 swimming lessons a week - but this number is now half that due to current Covid guidelines.

Simon Morgan, a director of Cambrian Aquatics, said: "The pool hall is classed as one room - meaning if a parent is in the viewing area, their child can't be in the water at the same time.

"The support we received from the Welsh Government, Sport Wales and Flintshire Council during the lockdowns has been amazing - but the impact of coronavirus will last much longer than lockdown.

"It's going to take years for places to balance their books - and we're certainly in that position. The sooner we can get back to full capacity, the better as we can't continue to operate this way.

"We have to be honest and say we are under threat of closure."

Simon's daughter, Elena, is part of national elite development squad and said she would not have raced for Wales without her local pool.

And about 250,000 children across the UK are said to have missed out on basic swimming lessons over the last year.

A report by Swim Wales found one in five pools had been completely closed for a year, with 80 per cent "inactive" for 43 weeks out of 52.

It states that about 30 Welsh pools may never open again.

A Welsh government spokesperson said physical activity would continue to play an important role in helping people to deal with the mental and physical effects of the pandemic.

"That is why we have invested over £40m to support sport and physical activity over the course of the pandemic and are investing an additional £7m this year to provide more modern and accessible facilities," they said.

"We hope that more people will be able to access these facilities as the public health conditions improve and restrictions are eased."