A WORCESTER councillor has slammed the appearance of Sansome Walk swimming pool - calling it "absolutely appalling".

Councillor Lynn Denham says not enough attention has been paid to the crumbling site, which is due to be demolished in 2017 and replaced by a new £10.4 million facility at Perdiswell.

The pool dates back to the 1960s and as well as the building itself appearing increasingly in need of repair, the grounds around it have also worsened.

It has also emerged that the city council's spending on Sansome Walk has been reduced by £50,000, with Councillor Denham calling it a "false economy".

But bosses at the authority say the saving is because operators 1Life, which is contracted to run the facility, uses a charitable trust to do so, removing a tax burden.

The condition of the site was debated during a meeting of the performance, management and budget scrutiny committee.

Councillor Denham said: "The outside area is absolutely appalling and the building itself is clearly not in a good state of repair.

"Given the present state of the Sansome Walk site and the swimming pool, I wonder if that reduction (in spending) is a false economy."

Ruth Mullen, the council's corporate director for service delivery, said: "The £50,000 is a saving where we've taken advantage of the fact 1Life can operate on a charitable trust.

"It is a saving to the council, but it isn't money we would have been able to invest into the building otherwise."

Sansome Walk is due to be knocked down when Perdiswell Leisure Centre is expanded to host the city's new state-of-the-art eight-lane pool.

The site's future is up for debate, as it was originally expected to be sold off for new housing, but in recent months council chiefs have been considering it for a new car park despite local opposition.

As your Worcester News revealed yesterday, work on revamping Perdiswell is now just weeks away, with the Conservative cabinet meeting this Tuesday to appoint a building contractor.

The new pool will put Worcester firmly on the swimming map as it will be able to host regional heats, meaning swimmers looking to compete won't need to travel to Wolverhampton or Gloucester.