PARENTS are being urged to attend a public meeting tonight as a fresh attempt is launched to rescue a town's swimming pool.

A new steering group has been set up to try to save Shildon's swimming pool, which looks likely to close for good because of costly repair bills.

The pool, which is in the grounds of Thornhill Primary School in the town, has been closed since January this year after it developed a leak, and Sedgefield Borough Council said it would not foot the bill for the repairs.

A great deal of work will have to be done for the pool to be brought up to standard, and the borough council said it would not be economically viable for it to continue.

The building has now been handed back to Durham County Council, which owns it, and no decisions have been made about its future.

Last night, Councillor John Smith, chairman of the newly-formed Shildon Community Pool Association, said that it was a vital facility for young children to learn to swim and urged as many people as possible to attend tonight's meeting in the Rest House, in Hackworth Park, at 6.30pm.

He said: "We need lots of people to come along, particularly those who have an interest in helping us run the pool.

"It would be wonderful to see parents of young children come along.

"There is a facility there to be used to teach youngsters to swim and it is a vital part of their education.

"There is a need for it and we will do what we can to save it.''

Coun Smith said the aim of the volunteer group would be to try to open the pool and run it as a charitable concern in the same way as the Wolsingham Community Pool is being run in Weardale.

But first the group needs to see if Durham County Council will allow it to take over the facility. Coun Smith added: "It all depends on whether the county council will allow us to take it on."