Schoolgirl Melissa Robinson got a short, sharp shock when she dipped her toe in the water to celebrate the arrival of spring.

Melissa, from Kennington, near Oxford, froze in surprise when she prepared to plunge into the Hinksey Park outdoor pool - which is open from now until September - during the Bank Holiday weekend.

The 10-year-old and her three friends discovered the water was just 14C, rather less than the intended 20C.

Melissa was among more than 100 people who marked the opening of the pool, off Oxford's Abingdon Road.

City councillor Bob Price, who was joined by colleagues Rick Muir and Peter Johnson to welcome the bathers, admitted that a boiler malfunction had kept the water cool.

He admitted: "It was a little cool. But the sunshine was nice, and because the pool is surrounded by trees and bushes, it's quite shaded."

But Melissa and her friends were unimpressed by their visit.

She said: "The water in the pool was freezing cold, and they could at least have made an effort to clean the water properly. I was picking out dirty tissues from the pool bottom."

She also complained that the centre's snack bar had been dismantled before a new one was provided.

David Penney, spokesman for Oxford City Council, said: "The temperature at the pool was between 15C and 18C and there were notices up explaining that. It is now 24C. Health and safety checks are done every hour and all rubbish is removed. "The tuck shop is undergoing reconstruction and we're hoping to open a new one soon.

"Any other problems will be investigated."