An issue many people seem to have missed in the Southend swimming pool debate is that yes, size matters!

Contrary to many patrons' belief, the main pool at Warrior Square is not Olympic size. An Olympic size pool is 50 meters long, whereas Warrior Square is only 33 metres.

British swimmers did so poorly at the Sydney Olympics because they had been training in 25 metre pools.

In a poolside interview with Karen Pickering just after she had lost an event she bitterly remarked: "Well, what can you expect when they have got all this - gesturing at the beautiful Olympic pool - and we have to train in a bucket?"

The Garon Park facilities are a glorified bucket, and I for one will not be using them.

The council may perceive a proper Olympic size as too expensive to build and to run, but that is just plain rubbish.

It keeps the existing facilities grossly overheated which costs money and adversely affects the the way in which the chlorine works.

In the long run a larger pool requires less extensive filtration because there is more water in it, whereas a small pool gets dirty very quickly.

I would push for the Warrior Square pool to be properly refurbished and kept at a reasonable temperature and the new one at Garon Park to be made 50 meters and also kept at the same temperature.

If Basildon can have an Olympic pool, why can't we?

Maria Lauretta
Gunners Road
Shoebury