A GYM in Swindon has announced it has made the difficult decision not to reopen its hot tubs after closing them temporarily last year. 

Nuffield Health had temporarily made the decision to turn off its jacuzzis in October across all its facilities around the country, including the one in Greenbridge, which charges up to £43 a month.

But in February, it confirmed the temporary closure across all of its venues had been made permanent with immediate effect, including Swindon's.

An email sent to Swindon gym-goers, from the town branch's centre manager Martin Skinner, cited the sharp rise in energy costs as the reason for this decision. 

Swindon Advertiser:

It said: "I’m writing to you to let you know that following a period of temporary closure, we’ve made the difficult decision to permanently close our spa pool.

"I want to reassure you that all other pool-side facilities including the swimming pool, steam room and sauna will remain open as usual for you to enjoy.

"Just as the rising cost of energy has affected many families across the UK, the leisure industry has been hit particularly hard as gyms, swimming pools and services, including spa pools, use a huge amount of energy and have become increasingly expensive to run.

"I understand you may feel disappointed with this decision and it’s not one that has been taken lightly. This also allows us to significantly reduce our overall energy consumption and accelerate our ambition to be carbon net zero in our own operations by 2030.

"We hugely value your membership and remain committed to supporting your health and well-being. Our priority at this time is to minimise the impact of this closure and we’re working on a timeline to improve the spa pool area."

Nuffield Health had hot tubs at 72 of its 114 fitness and wellbeing centres across the UK.

In October it wrote to members to say that the bubbly baths will stop running from the start of October, in what was supposed to be a bid to save money during just the autumn and winter months. 

Responding to the closure of the Swindon branch hot tubs, a Nuffield spokesperson told Reach PLC: "Our fitness and wellbeing centres use a significant amount of energy and to meet rising costs we’ve made the difficult decision to permanently close the majority of our spa pools.

"We remain committed to supporting the health and well-being of our members and our steam rooms, saunas and swimming pools will remain open as usual.”