VOLUNTEERS who run a popular outdoor swimming pool are waiting anxiously to see if they have been landed with a bill of more than £40,000 after vandals broke in over the weekend.

The criminals removed the cover at Bathurst Pool in Lydney and threw anything they could find including scaffolding poles, chairs and tables into the pool which has been a much-loved facility for generations.

Trustees are now waiting to be able to assess whether the pool liner needs to be replaced – which would land them with a bill of more than £40,000 which they say they cannot afford.

Volunteers turned out on Sunday to clear the debris from the pool which was originally built for the town by the Bathurst family in 1920.

Vice Chair Greg Nash said: “We don’t have the money to replace the pool liner if it is damaged as it cost us more than £30,000 12 years ago and obviously that has since increased.

“The pool is currently closed and it’s not known when we will reopen. Police are appealing for witnesses.”

It is understood the incident happened on Friday or Saturday night but trust members weren’t aware until Sunday morning.

Greg added: “A member of the (swimming pool) team raised the alarm after spotting a ladder against the entrance gate when driving past the site.

“I just can’t believe somebody could do this – we’ve never had an incident like this before.

“The pool is run by volunteers and relies heavily on the generosity of the public to stay open. We have around 15,000 visitors a year that use this great place to relax.

“The tables thrown into the pool cost £500 each and many were donated by the friends and supporters of the pool.”

Chairman of the trust, Bob Berryman added: “We won’t know until the rain goes how badly damaged the liner is.

“If it needs replacing we are as good as ‘stuffed’ to open this year.

“We can’t clear the bottom of the pool either and have had to put a cover back over. We are not sure if the filtration system has also been damaged.

“We can’t thank the community enough for their support – we’ve even had people from Ross and Monmouth offer to help with the clear up.

“We are currently installing CCTV cameras to prevent any further vandalism.”

PC Henry Davies said: “I think somebody in the community is likely to know who did this and I would appeal to them to do the right thing and come forward straight away.”

Anybody with any information should call the police on 101 quoting incident number 219 of February 7.