‘I have serious concerns over the qualifications of the two swimming instructors at this pool.’

‘It is clear that the standards for maintaining a clean and hygienic environment have dropped’.Resident hits out at Central Park Leisure Centre in Harold Hill.

A Harold Hill resident who was a regular user of the swimming pool, has hit out at ‘the poor state of the centre and swimming instructors’.

The man who did not wish to be named, told the Havering Daily:”I have serious concerns over the qualifications of the two swimming instructors at this pool. I have raised this with the management team and nothing has been done. It has got to the point where I have advised family to stop using the pool after so many concerns with the facilities.

“It is baffling to see that they would allow individuals who can’t even demonstrate a proper stroke to continue teaching. How can they possibly be effective instructors? Surely it is a fundamental requirement for any swimming teacher?What is even more troubling is the impact this will have on good teachers. It is unfair on them, when these two particular ones clearly lack the basic skills.”

The Harold Hill resident is angry at the way the leisure centre has declined over recent years.

“Just three years ago, Central Park was a remarkable swim school, known for its love, passion and genuine commitment to nurturing students. Now, unfortunately standards seem to have dropped drastically and it is very sad to see how far it has fallen.”

Another troublesome area for the resident, is the state of hygiene at the centre.

“I have noticed a significant decline in the cleanliness of the site. It is clear that standards for maintaining hygienic environment have dropped and this is something that should be of serious concern to the management. I have found the toilets are in a terrible state with rarely any toilet paper available.

“I have never witnessed the cleaner actually do their job. I always seem to see the cleaner outside smoking.

“I have seen chemicals stored in a pool changing room that seems to be an area accessible to the public if they have a radar key.

“I will not be returning to this pool or centre once my membership has finished,” added the local resident.

In response, Tom Fletcher, area contract manager said: “It is extremely important to us that our customers are satisfied with their experience at our leisure centre, and we are sorry to hear the recent concerns raised.

 “Our team of swimming teachers are qualified to Swim England’s SEQ Level 2. In line with Swim England’s guidance, our swim teachers undergo a training process that starts at the SEQ Level 1 assistant instructor level, before progressing to the full SEQ Level 2 certification. At present, our entire swim teaching staff are fully qualified to the SEQ Level 2 standard.”

 “Regarding cleanliness, we take pride in this and follow a strict cleaning regime, consisting of daily cleaning and regular deep cleans. We prioritise key areas such as the poolside and changing rooms and work hard to clean our facilities to a high standard, particularly during busy periods with high footfall. We apologise if customer expectations have not been met and will continue to improve the cleanliness of the centre.

 “Some cleaning equipment had been temporarily stored in an empty room that was planned to become a disabled changing facility. While this room is not currently open to the public and is kept locked, it is accessible via a radar key that some disabled users may possess. The room does not have any active amenities or changing facilities. We have since relocated all such cleaning items to a designated, secure storage area away from public access. Additionally, we have added clear signage to indicate that this room is not open for public use.”

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