Two swimming pools in North Somerset have been awarded £270,000 in funding to make them greener.

Hutton Moor Leisure Centre and Portishead Open Air Pool will both receive a boost for new power systems aimed at significantly reducing their carbon footprint.

Swimming pools, which require large amounts of energy to run, carry both a significant carbon cost and a financial burden for their operators.

North Somerset Council has, however, secured funding to install brand-new electric solar (PV) systems at both these local pools.

This light-to-electricity conversion process is deemed a significant stride towards greener and more sustainable operations.

More than £129k has been allocated for the installation of a PV system at Hutton Moor Leisure Centre’s swimming pool, alongside adding insulation to the plant room on the site.

It's estimated that upon project completion within a year, the site will save 28.17 tonnes of carbon per year.

This installation work is planned to coincide with other improvement projects, ensuring minimal disruption to the pool users, and keeping the pool running.

Weston Mercury:

Over £140k of award money has been angled at upgrades to Portishead Open Air Pool where, in addition to a PV system, solar thermal power will be installed to heat the pool's waters.

This project will be organised and overseen by Portishead Open Air Pool Trust to potentially allow the pool to stay open during the works.

North Somerset Council’s executive member for culture and leisure, Mike Solomon said: "It’s fantastic that we’ve secured £270k of funding, so we can upgrade two of our swimming pools.

“We know how much our residents value the pool at Hutton Moor Leisure Centre and Portishead Open Air Swimming Pool, so it’s great that we can continue to invest in them and make them greener spaces.

“By switching to electric solar (PV) systems, we can cut out a chunk of our carbon emissions at these sites".

He continued: "At Hutton Moor Leisure Centre alone, we’re projected to save more than 28 tonnes of carbon a year.

"This will help in our goal to become a carbon neutral council by 2030”.

The funding was allocated through the Swimming Pool Support Fund, administered by Sport England.

Across England, 264 local authorities have shared in the funding, a whopping £60 million package, £20m of which is provided by Sport England via the National Lottery and £40m by the government.

The funds will cover improvement works such as the installation of PV systems, LED lights, and pool covers.