Day or night, you won't miss a story with the Liverpool Echo newsletter Sign me up now Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Campaigners gathered outside a closure-threatened historic city swimming baths in a bid to save it.

More than 300 people protested and chanted after 4pm today near to Stebble Street baths – also known as Park Road Baths, now part of the Dingle Lifestyles centre.

The close-knit community in a deprived and disadvantaged area is fighting to keep hold of its 140-year-old baths in the face of city leaders’ proposals to close the swimming pool.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

Dingle Community Theatre wrote a script as part of the demo and it featured health pioneer “Saint Kitty” Wilkinson, who had famously cared for the sick during the cholera outbreak in 1832.

Kitty also turned her Liverpool home into a washhouse and, a decade later, she became superintendent of the Public Baths and Wash House in Frederick Street, established by the city council in 1842.

Played by actress Su Burke, Kitty told the crowd: “We set up a campaign to set up public wash houses and public swimming baths right across the city. And this baths was built in 1874.”

Asked why the baths was needed today, Kitty explained: “There is a public issue sweeping the nation and it’s called obesity.”

Locals waved placards with ‘Don’t close Stebbie’, ‘Keep our pool in Liverpool’ and ‘Save Stebbie baths’ on and they chanted ‘Save our baths‘ as car and bus drivers went by and beeped their vehicle horns as a show of support.

Local resident and dad-dad-of-two Mel Lyons, 40, said: “I’m disappointed that one of the poorest communities in this city and the country is having a vital service taken away from it.

“A whole generation of children won’t know how to swim and they will engage in anti-social behaviour as a direct result of the closure of this pool.”

Alma Phizakley, 62, from Toxteth, said that she won’t get any exercise if it closed.

She added: “People will have to go to Picton baths or Garston but who has the bus fare to go to them?”

Mum-of-three Lucy Dossor, who helped to organise the demonstration, said she was pleased with how it went. She added: “I was so shocked when I found out what was happening and I thought that we had to make a stand.”

“We understand about the cuts. We understand that the cuts are real and the government is doing what it is doing.

“But we think that the council should prioritise.

“It does provide statutory services and kids have to swim.

“This baths should be one of the last things to go rather than the first.

A council spokesman said: "The council has had 58% of its budget taken away by Government which means that we’ve got to save another £156 million over the next three years. This means we are having to make some really difficult decisions in order to lessen the impact on services for the most vulnerable, such as social care. Our leisure centres are much loved and we really do not want to close any of them.

“Therefore we are exploring every single avenue to try and find alternative ways of keeping centres open by understanding user needs, having discussions with third party organisations, being open to discuss potential asset transfer opportunities, talking to local schools, Sport England and National Governing Bodies of sport such as the ASA and British Gymnastics, looking at alternative venues for swimming and working with the community to mitigate the impact of any closure.

“Park Road is the second most expensive facility and costs us £6.35 per visit to subsidise.”

More Merseyside news

Coleen Rooney's luggage ransacked while on way to holiday in America

Police name Liverpool motorbike rider killed in crash on busy city street

Caught on Camera July: Do you recognise these suspects?

Hillsborough stadium was only safe by relying on 'human intervention' at time of the disaster

Teams to do battle for "Cole's Cup" in memory of Blues-mad schoolboy

Men who work outside urged to cover up to help beat skin cancer

Arsenal of 270 guns taken off Merseyside's streets l ast year

David Moyes mural severely damaged in arson attack on Liverpool pub

June in pictures - our round-up of a bumper month on Merseyside

Stay with us for all your breaking news, sport, traffic and travel