Three popular paddling pools in North Yorkshire are temporarily closed after maintenance inspections found drainage concerns that need further checks.
The closures affect Valley Gardens paddling pool in Harrogate, Bebra Gardens paddling pool in Knaresborough and Borrage Green paddling pool in Ripon. North Yorkshire Council said the pools did not open for the recent Bank Holiday because work is needed to investigate and update the drainage system.
Families are being told to wait for further updates while engineers inspect the sites. The council hopes the issue can be resolved before the school summer holidays begin in mid-July, but the reopening dates have not yet been confirmed.
Pools currently closed
The temporary closures apply to three outdoor family facilities:
| Paddling pool | Location |
|---|---|
| Valley Gardens paddling pool | Harrogate |
| Bebra Gardens paddling pool | Knaresborough |
| Borrage Green paddling pool | Ripon |
No alternative reopening date has been announced for any of the three sites. The council has said the length of the closure will depend on what engineers find during inspections later this week.
Drainage checks delaying reopening
North Yorkshire Council said the issue was found after a more stringent inspection process was introduced when responsibility for the venues came under its control.
The council has described the problem as a potential issue with the drainage system. The sites will remain closed while further investigation is carried out, and any required work will need to be completed before the pools can go through their usual annual maintenance.
That means the closures are not simply a delay to routine seasonal opening. The drainage concern has to be assessed first, then the normal checks must still be completed before the pools are considered ready for public use.
Engineers expected on site this week
Engineers are due to visit Valley Gardens in Harrogate, Bebra Gardens in Knaresborough and Borrage Green in Ripon later this week.
Their findings will help determine how long the pools need to stay shut. For parents and carers planning summer activities, the key date is mid-July, when school summer holidays are expected to begin and demand for free or low-cost outdoor play spaces usually rises.
The council has said it hopes to have the situation resolved by then. It has not given a guaranteed reopening date, so families should check for updates before making plans around the three paddling pools.
Safety placed ahead of Bank Holiday opening
Karl Battersby, North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director for environment, said the authority was taking a more thorough approach to inspecting sites of this kind.
He said engineers had identified a potential drainage system issue that needed further investigation, and that public safety was the priority while the work was carried out.
The closure meant the pools could not open in time for the recent Bank Holiday, despite warm weather and their popularity with local families. The council said the pools will undergo their usual annual maintenance once the drainage issue has been resolved.
What families should do now
Families planning visits to Harrogate, Knaresborough or Ripon should treat the three paddling pools as closed until North Yorkshire Council confirms otherwise.
The affected facilities are:
- Valley Gardens paddling pool in Harrogate
- Bebra Gardens paddling pool in Knaresborough
- Borrage Green paddling pool in Ripon
The next practical update is expected after engineers have inspected the sites and the council has a clearer view of the drainage work required.
Source: North Yorkshire Council
Source check Source trail
This article is based on North Yorkshire Council’s public update about the temporary paddling pool closures.
- Matched the three affected paddling pools with the council notice.
- Checked the stated reason for closure as drainage system concerns found during maintenance...
- Preserved the council’s stated timeline of engineer visits later this week and a hoped-for...
- Attributed the public safety explanation to Karl Battersby by name and role.
- Source
- North Yorkshire Council
- Scope
- North Yorkshire
- Updated
- 2026-05-26 19:17
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