A FIRM providing swimming classes to thousands of Edinburgh children has lost £30,000 since the school closure crisis as the clamour for businesses to be compensated grows louder.

Gail Smith, managing director of SwimEasy which tutors children in school pools, has had to cancel scores of lessons worth £30,000 and has no idea when she can resume classes at Royal High and Braidburn schools.

A timetable for reopening all schools is still being considered amid reports some could remain partly closed until August.

Read more: after-school clubs poised for compensation claims over Edinburgh schools closures

Ms Smith has moved 200 of children to classes in other pools sparking more disruption for parents but around 300 have declined the invitation to train elsewhere.

"For four or five-year-olds it's a significant interruption to the lessons," she said.

"We have managed to put some people in other programmes but not everyone wants to travel, they want to stay locally.

"Some have said they won't be back at all."

SwimEasy is the biggest private sector swimming class firm in the Capital.

Faults have been identified in all 17 buildings constructed or modernised through a private finance scheme, dubbed PPP.

It may be weeks or even months before they are all re-opened.

The Federation of Small Businesses Scotland said the schools crisis is like the "new Forth Road Bridge", which was closed suddenly last year when a crack appeared, creating weeks of disruption in and around Edinburgh.

Some running sport and swimming classes reported as much as a 75per cent drop in business, it is claimed, as FSB warned the open-ended Edinburgh schools fiasco could be a financial pressures for firms.

Compensation specialists Thompsons Solicitors said a firm who can show they have lost out because of the school closures could potentially make a claim for a share in an overall compensation pot.

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A spokesman for Edinburgh City Council said it is currently in discussions with the consortium which constructed the schools, Edinburgh Schools Partnership over compensation.

It comes as the leader of Edinburgh City Council when the PPP deal was struck called for greater transparency over the contracts.

Donald Anderson, a former leader of the then Labour-run council, apologised for the problems that arose but added the council could not have detected any faults unless they had dismantled the buildings all together.

Mr Anderson told BBC Good Morning Scotland: "I think I like every body else who was involved in the whole investment programme is deeply sorry to see the problems that have arisen.

"We need to find out exactly what happened.

"This looks very much like a problem in construction rather than procurement. Somebody signed off on that."

He added: "You couldn't pick up some of these details by any inspection, what you have to do is rely on trust that developers and construction companies will do this properly.

Read more: Edinburgh PPP schools crisis: pupils return to class

"I think in terms any major building or construction in Scotland there may be issues."