Families have called on the council to reopen a splash park after it closed for the winter on one of the hottest days of the year.

Riverside Park and Pools in Wallingford shut on Sunday (September 3) despite Oxfordshire being hit with a late-summer heatwave.

Temperatures this week are expected to top 30C.

Hundreds of young families turned up to use the splash park yesterday (September 4) but were left disappointed.

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Jess Woodfield from Harwell said: “We got there at 10.30am and it was already 29C.

Oxford Mail:

“There were hundreds of families at the splash park, all waiting for it to be turned on.

“It certainly wasn’t very clear that they had shut it and the majority of people were not aware.

“There was no explanation at all. When we have been there before there hasn’t been anybody monitoring it.

“It has always been a free-for-all.”

The splash park in Wallingford opened late this year after it underwent a two-month revamp costing nearly £300,000.

The pad and swimming pool in Wallingford is owned by South Oxfordshire District Council but is managed by GLL, the council’s leisure provider.

One person, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Oxford Mail: “There's hundreds of people down there waiting for the system to be turned on and one of the hottest days of the year before the kids go back to school this week and it's not on.

“There are no representatives answering from GLL who I think, run it.

“There are kids swimming in the river to cool off because it's so warm, which just really isn't acceptable.

“Plenty of families and children just obviously want to get out and enjoy something that the council have invested thousands and thousands of pounds in to use.

“And then the hottest day of the year they turn off.”

Oxford Mail:

South Oxfordshire District Council and GLL were contacted for comment on the closure of the Wallingford splash pad.

A spokesperson for the council said: “We’re pleased that the newly refurbished splash pad at Riverside in Wallingford has been so popular this summer.

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“Our summer season always comes to an end the first week of September as part of our contractual agreement with GLL our leisure provider who manage the site for us.

“We do appreciate people’s disappointment that we haven’t been able to open the splash pad in this week of unusually warm September weather.

“This summer the splash pad opened a few weeks later than usual so the exciting £296,450 revamp could take place while the ground conditions were suitable.

“Next year the splash pad will be ready for use for the full summer season from the end of May and we look forward to seeing everyone enjoying it as they have this year.”