Residents of a township have been "betrayed" by a council's decision to take away its swimming pool.

Great Harwood's Cllr Colin McKenzie made the claim as he urged Hyndburn council bosses to reverse their decision to reject three alternative sites for the pool.

He said the decision to move the pool to the proposed new sports village at Wilson Playing Field in Clayton-le-Moors after the closure of the one at Mercer Hall was too far for residents to travel.

Labour's Cllr McKenzie, elected for Overton ward in July, was speaking at Hyndburn Council's full meeting on Thursday (November 3) asking for the authority's cabinet to reverse its decision.

He urged them to look again at three alternative sites in Great Harwood - the Windsor Road Recreation Ground, land at Alan Ramsbottom Way and the former gas holder site on Balfour Street.

Cllr McKenzie said the cabinet had ignored its own, albeit inaccurate, research and that the 40-minute round trip to Clayton was too far for most potential users to make.

He said that the vast majority of residents wanted to keep a swimming pool in the town.

Cllr Mckenzie said: "Wilson Playing Field was being considered for a leisure development even as Great Harwood swimming pool was being allowed to deteriorate.

"Now we are told that repairing Mercer Hall would be ‘prohibitively expensive', yet no costings have ever been made public.

"The data that does speak volumes is that showing the number of people who could access each site on foot within 20 minutes – the people who would actually walk to the pool: Wilson Playing Field 7,514. Windsor Road 11,293; Alan Ramsbottom Way 11,198; the old gas holder site 12,539.

"This would be a great site for development and has 67 per cent more people than Wilson Playing Field.

"People visiting a new Great Harwood swimming pool would also visit the local shops, cafes and bars on our bustling high street.

"There is ample parking in Great Harwood and no road congestion. The Wilson Playing Field site has none of these advantages.

"As it stands, the people of Hyndburn are being totally betrayed by Hyndburn Leisure Trust and by the Conservative and Independent coalition in this council. They commissioned a site review after already deciding on a location for the new pool.

"They should think again."

Council leader Cllr Miles Parkinson said: "It would cost too much to repair the pool at Mercer Hall. We are looking at alternative uses for the building.

"Some people will let go. Other people won't. But the decision has been made."