CHILDREN are risking serious injury by climbing on top of the iconic glass structure at the Oasis leisure centre. 

The once-bustling destination has been closed for nearly two years, with Swindonians campaigning for the borough council and landlords SevenCapital to bring it back into use. 

Since it shut indefinitely in November 2020 the building has been the a target for vandals and urban explorers, with videos being posted on social media of people roaming around the inside after breaking in.

The Adver visited the site and spoke to the security guard there, who revealed he had been guarding the building for 10 months. 

The guard, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Obviously there were a few break-ins a the start, but the biggest problem for a while was the litter, I put extra bags out by the bins, but they just kept getting full and then blowing everywhere so I stopped.

"But I have on two occasions caught children, or teenagers, climbing on the dome itself, which horrified me.

"I said 'you do know there's no water in the pool anymore, so if you fall through then, well, it won't be good' - they definitely didn't realise how dangerous it was."

Rubbish has built up in the car parks, with volunteers picking it up themselves and blaming a lack of action from SevenCapital. 

The Save Oasis Swindon campaign group has shared concerns with Swindon Borough Council about the level of security and maintenance of the site, prompting a response saying that no enforcement action was needed.  

It said: "The buildings are protected by what is understood to be 24-hour security. Entry points have been secured in order to prevent break-ins and the potential for vandalism.

"I am aware that on-site security is monitoring the building and thus would be able to identify any urgent maintenance requirements."

The guard explained he has access to all of the CCTV at the site. 

The car park is now blocked by a barrier overnight, which he said had led to a big reduction in the amount of rubbish being left. 

But in terms of maintenance issues, he said: "I'm a security guard, that's my job, not maintenance."

The Adver revealed this month that SevenCapital wants to make investigations into the main building to see if it is worth saving.

The developer has put in a request for permission to carry out the work to the council, which owns the land and gave SevenCapital a long-term lease 10 years ago.