A TYWYN councillor has accused Gwynedd Council of “letting down the town’s children” after the paddling pool was closed over the bank holiday.

Tywyn county councillor Mike Stevens said he was “appalled” that the council didn’t open the paddling pool (pictured) on Tywyn promenade for the busy weekend.

However, the county council says it does not have enough staff to prioritise the pool, which can take up to two hours a day to fill and maintain.

Cllr Stevens said: “I wrote to the maritime off­icer Barry Davies two weeks ago asking him to ensure the pool would be open.

“For the past two years on this May bank holiday weekend, when Tywyn has been blessed with sunny weather, the paddling pool has been closed.

“Mr Davies eventually wrote back to say they didn’t have the resources to open the pool. I found that totally unacceptable as it was an excuse not a reason, it is a complete dereliction of their duty.

“The paddling pool is in very good condition. All it needed was for one of the two staff members to fill it with water each day.

“The paddling pool is loved by local children, it’s not just visitors who benefit from it. The maritime department had one important task to perform in Tywyn but let us down badly.”

Cllr Stevens was not the only community figure to criticise the local authority.

“Former councillor Morgan Vaughan MBE contacted me to express his concerns at the neglect of our paddling pool,” Cllr Stevens added.

“I feel some work is being neglected to force town and community councils to take over the running of local facilities.

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online now