NOT a stroke of swimming was to be had in York's municipal baths last night. The Barbican is closed, awaiting its rebirth.

A heating system failure did for Yearsley pool, then Edmund Wilson was shut by a technical fault.

An unhappy coincidence, certainly. But this is what York swimmers have been fearing ever since they took to the streets protesting at plans to close one or two pools.

The breakdowns at Yearsley and Edmund Wilson illustrate the point the council has long been making. After years of under-investment, the pools are worn out.

In the face of widespread anger at the closure plans, the authority sought ways to fund their upkeep.

Their solution, a rebuilt, privately-run Barbican Centre, has caused great controversy. It did have the merit of raising £10 million - enough, we were assured, to build a new pool and bring the two older ones up to standard.

Unhappily, this is now in question. We revealed last week that the money generated by the Barbican deal could still leave a shortfall of £2 million.

The temporary closure of the Edmund Wilson and Yearsley pools is annoying. But if the council sells off the Barbican, a prized community asset, and still cannot afford to keep its promise to revamp York's other public pools, that would be a scandal.

Updated: 09:54 Wednesday, November 10, 2004