A CALL has been made for more evening public swimming opportunities in Cowdenbeath.

Councillor Andrew Verrecchia has raised concerns about the lack of public swimming in both Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline.

He carried out a survey of just over 200 pool users which found that a total of 95 per cent of people asked said it was unacceptable that the leisure centre at Cowdenbeath only had public evening swimming on a Tuesday between 6.30pm and 9pm.

There were 96 per cent who said it was unacceptable that the only evening availability at the Carnegie Leisure Centre was a Monday between 8pm and 9.30pm however the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust say sessions in Dunfermline have now increased after its training pool re-opened.

"A few people had got in touch with me about it," said Cllr Verrecchia. "For a survey to get a couple of hundred responses I thought was pretty good.

"It is not a case of finger pointing, I wanted to gauge what the public opinion was. I absolutely agree that lessons and clubs have to happen and there is a place for everyone. No-one is any more important and they all should be able to co exist

"It is ok if you want to go during the day but not for people who are working and coming in in the evening and fancy a swim. It is getting to the stage where you are having to go online and see where you can go and potentially driving past four pools before you get one you can go to.

"I accept the training pool at Carnegie has been out of commission and I am really pleased they have got that back up and running.

"In the post lockdown world I would like to think they need people through the door. They need people paying their subs and need to make it welcome for everybody.

"I feel members of the public are being marginalised from what is essentially a public building."

A Fife Sports and Leisure Trust spokesperson said the swimming pool timetable at Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre was long-standing and caters for the wide range of user group the trust provides facilities and programmes for.

"Cowdenbeath delivers pool time for babies to older adults and all abilities," they added. "The pool hosts swimming lessons for all ages, which includes children, young adults and older adults, aqua instructor-led sessions, public swimming sessions and club use throughout the week.

“As a charitable trust, we have to work with a finite number of resources, for a wide range of users, to deliver on our commitment to widen access so that as many people as possible can benefit from physical activity, and in the case of swimming pools, to offer the opportunity to learn a lifesaving skill.”