WALTHAM Forest will be left with a shortage of decent pools in the run-up to the Olympic games, swimmers fear.

A number of swimmers have spoken of their dismay at the news Waltham Forest College pool will close at the end of the month.

The pool, in Forest Road, will close because the college cannot afford to keep it open and a temporary council-brokered deal with Greenwich Leisure to run the pool has now expired.

In addition to the 30m college pool, Labour cabinet members also want to close the pool at Waltham Forest Pool & Track, in Chingford Road, Walthamstow, and build a new pool in the Arcade site development, which has been delayed.

But some fear that if the Chingford Road pool closes before the Arcade site is built, the borough will be left with a lack of training facilities in the run-up to the Olympics.

Swimmer Sarah Freshwater, of Walthamstow, said: “As a regular user of the Waltham Forest Pool I'm greatly saddened to hear that it is to close.

“It will probably mean that I will stop swimming regularly, as it is the only decent length pool in the area.

“ It really is crazy that this is happening so close to the Olympics. Walthamstow will be poorer, and less fit, for the loss.”

Another Waltham Forest College pool user, Cath Ramlill, is angry that the college pool is closing, because she is attempting to complete a 14m swim challenge set by the Sun newspaper, and says it will be more difficult to achieve it in a smaller pool.

Labour cabinet members agreed in March that it would be “appropriate” to relocate Waltham Forest Pool & Track to the Arcade site.

The Lib Dem group did not support the proposals, and its leader John Macklin fears that the Pool & Track will be demolished before the Arcade site pool is ready.

Waltham Forest College pool will close in the first week of September.

It had been due to close in 2007, but a council-brokered and part-subsidised temporary deal with Greenwich Leisure Ltd to run the facility has now come to the end.

The pool was to due to be demolished anyway as part of an expected redevelopment of the college which has not happened because expected Learning & Skills Council (LSC) funding was not forthcoming.