THE Echo-backed campaign to save a popular seaside paddling pool has won an important victory as the council is carrying out temporary maintenance work to ensure it stays open this summer.

Castle Point Council’s chief executive David Marchant says the authority will fund short-term work to bring the tidal pool, near the Concord cafe on Canvey seafront, up to Government health and safety standards. This will guarantee the pool can stay open throughout this summer.

However, it is thought more work will be needed to keep it open in the long-term.

Mr Marchant said: “It is too early to talk about costs or completion times.”

The pool faced closure in January this year when Castle Point Council decided it could not afford £58,000 needed to bring it up to health and safety standards, plus additional yearly maintenance costs.

Canvey Town Council offered to take over maintenance of the pool and now the two authorities have formed a working group, which has commissioned a consultant to carry out another health and safety report to get a second opinion on the cost of keeping it open.

The Echo-backed Protect Our Pool campaign has collected thousands of signatures from angry residents calling for the pool to be saved.

Lea Swann, leader of the campaign, is pleased the pool will definitely stay open this summer.

However, she said: “It’s all very mysterious. How can they bring it up to health and safety standards on a temporary basis? Also, why are they only doing it now when people have been using it already this year?”

Dave Blackwell, leader of Canvey Independent Party, welcomed the news, but wanted to know why the authority would not do all the repairs in one go.

He said: “I’m pleased they are going to do the work and it’ll be open this summer. It would be nice to know exactly what these temporary measures are and why they don’t do the whole thing in one go?”