Harpenden   - see also St Albans Main Page

Herts Advertiser Letter  9.2.06 Reproduced in full. http://www.hertsad.co.uk/search/story.aspx?brand=HADOnline&category=Postbag&itemid=WEED09%20Feb%202006%2012:38:29:750&tBrand=HADOnline&tCategory=search 

SIR, - I have been attending Harpenden Swimming Pool on a regular basis since it opened and have seen a steady decline in the standards of health and hygiene of the facilities.

Firstly I think the pool changing room floor should be jet-washed on a regular basis. At present the general appearance is grubby to say the least, especially around the pillars that support the cubicles. It would be interesting to know if this has ever been done.

It is often the case that the showers are not in working order - either too hot or too cold. Last week again only two of the four showers are working. This is now into a second week of non-repair.

How often have we all found that the hairdryers are out of use? This goes on for weeks at a time.

The coffee machine in the reception area has not worked since well before Christmas, firstly waiting for a "part" - now we are told it's awaiting replacement when the contract runs out. Surely under a contract it should be repaired or replaced immediately? Do not all contracts contain a maintenance clause?

Last week the cold drinks machine did not work, consequently no drinks at all.

The young staff at the pool are excellent, but must also be getting very frustrated with all the complaints that they are unable to resolve. Why are we paying for such poor standards?

Last Sunday, having just returned from a morning swim, we had three general showers not in use and roped off. Still no coffee machine or soft drinks. I noted 16 lockers with large "not in use" notices attached. That day we had the England ladies rugby team using the pool. I wonder what they will think of our facilities, or should I say, lack of.

I for one do not think that the management team are doing their jobs to the full. Why are all these problems taking so long to resolve?

MARGARET LOWI,  Hickling Way, Harpenden.

Left high and dry at pool  - Filth & Theft 1  Herts Advertiser 19.8.04 from http://snipurl.com/952n 

A TRIP to the swimming pool turned into a nightmare for a single mother and her four-year-old son. All their property and clothes were stolen from a locker at the pool in Harpenden and they were unable to phone for help because they were told the pool phones were out of action The problems on Sunday, August 9, began when Johana Budge from Whitwell arrived at the pool and discovered another customer complaining about the state of the children's changing cubicles.

Because nappy bins were filthy and the floor and benches were covered in urine, Ms Budge took her son to the women's changing area as it was less dirty than the rest. But a number of changing cubicles had no locks on the doors and some had no doors at all. There was no paper in the toilets and two showers were not working.

In addition a number of lockers were disabled and then her £1 coin jammed in the lock on the one she chose. In the confusion, Ms Budge forgot to pick up her locker key and when she went back for it she found all their property, including clothes and towels and her handbag including her mobile phone and car keys, had been stolen.

When she asked to use a phone she was told they were not working because of a power surge. She asked a member of staff to pop outside and check her car to make sure that the locker thief was not trying to steal it. But the pool staff could not offer any other help because they were short of people and the manager was not available.

Ms Budge and her son, still in their wet swimming costumes, were eventually offered a towel from lost property and another pool user lent her a mobile phone to call for help. Leisure Connection, which runs the pool on behalf of St Albans District Council, has now apologised to Ms Budge and offered her free use of the pool for a month.

In a letter to her, Leisure Connection business manager Andy Clayson has admitted that the series of incidents was "totally unacceptable" and should have been dealt with in a more professional manner. He admits there were phone problems, partly caused by an electrical storm earlier in the week, but says the office phone line was still in working order and that each duty manager had a mobile phone for use in an emergency.

He said that as a result of the incident the company has now set up a box with towels and dry clothes and staff have been told to be extra vigilant for people breaking into lockers. Mr Clayson admits that cleanliness was not up to standard, but explained that new contractors started on the following day to replace the previous unacceptable ones. And he said a lock company had been contacted to bring all lockers back into service.

Cllr Sheila Burton, who holds the district council's sport and healthy living portfolio, said: "This is a management failure by Leisure Connection and is completely unacceptable. We will be asking for a full explanation and taking whatever action is appropriate.

But despite the extra vigilance, three weeks later...

Locker theft man loses car as well  -  Theft 2  Herts Advertiser 9.9.04   http://snipurl.com/952s 

A MAN who suffered a double blow when his gym locker was broken into is warning people not to keep their property in the changing rooms.

Liam Foley, aged 38, of Townsend Road, Harpenden, returned from an evening yoga class to discover that his locker at Harpers in Rothamsted Park had been forced open and his wallet and car keys were missing. The thief had driven off in his Ford Cougar from the car park outside the gym. Mr Foley had to cancel all his bank and credit cards and had to have his house locks changed at 1am by a 24-hour locksmith. He had used the £1 coin deposit system on the changing-room lockers. He said: "People have got to learn not to use those lockers. I would warn people to only use the ones in the gym itself or to take their stuff into the classes with them."

The theft happened between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Tuesday night last week during the time of the yoga class. Mr Foley called the police and while he was waiting he was afraid that the thief could get into his home but he was able to alert his neighbour, who had a spare house key, and asked him to watch the house. Mr Foley is now waiting to see what his car insurers will do but said he had been told by police it was unlikely he would get it back.

Phil Steele, contract manager for Leisure Connection, which runs Harpers, said: "We take a weakness in security very seriously, and don't generally feel there is a huge security problem. The police are happy to vouch for the standard of service we have provided on this occasion and have said there is not much more we can do on the security front. "A crime-prevention team has visited and we are very happy to take on board any advice they have.