THE future of three North Yorkshire paddling pools has been secured.

Harrogate Borough Council had feared it would have to shut the pools because it could not afford expensive filtering systems.

Guidance issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) last year suggested filtering systems were needed in paddling pools.

However, the council has now received written confirmation from the HSE that the equipment is not needed.

The pools in Valley Gardens, Harrogate, Bebra Gardens, Knaresborough and Borrage Green, Ripon, will open in time for the spring bank holiday.

It would have cost £220,000 to install the filtering equipment.

Councillor Pat Jones, cabinet member for cultural services, said: "It took some time and a bit of pressure, but the HSE finally had to admit that their advice was not clearly written and that our original interpretation had been correct.

"We are grateful to them for the new guidance, which is now much clearer.

"We are happy to report that our pools were as popular as ever last year, so it would have been a crying shame had we had to close them."

The council says it spent just over £6,000 lobbying the HSE to clarify its regulations.