RED-faced council bosses have been forced to delay the long awaited reopening of a Hampshire lido.

Just 48 hours after announcing that the Lymington Sea Water Baths would open today, officials last night admitted that the much-heralded event will not take place after all.

The eagerly awaited ceremony has been postponed until next week, leaving hundreds of swimmers angry and disappointed.

Said to be the largest facility of its type on the south coast, the lido will remain closed over the busy bank holiday weekend in a move that will cost Lymington and Pennington Town Council a huge amount in lost income.

But the council has issued two conflicting versions of why the opening has been delayed.

Anna Cross, the lido’s newly appointed manager, blamed lastminute maintenance jobs and the need to carry out further staff training.

She added: “There are a few things that still have to be sorted out. It’s not the best outcome but we need to get the site safe before we let people in.”

But Paul Hickman, chairman of the amenities committee, said the council was still waiting for the newly refurbished site to be inspected by insurers.

On Wednesday the council staged a photo-call at which it announced that the baths would reopen today following a £8,000 facelift.

“That was the feeling at the time, but the insurance isn’t sorted,” said Cllr Hickman.

“A huge amount of goodwill has gone into getting the baths ready and they will open, there’s no doubt about that.”

Patrick Covey of the newly formed Friends of Lymington Sea Water Baths said: “I’ve been told that the insurance inspection hasn’t been carried out – and without the necessary cover they can’t open.

“It’s extremely disappointing that things weren’t arranged a bit earlier.

“We’ve been holding back on our website because there was a real suspicion that the baths wouldn’t open today.We knew what still needed doing.”

The baths are normally open between May and September but remained shut last year after failing health and safety checks.

Hundreds of people signed a petition urging the council to reopen the 176-year-old site and the authority has spent months carrying out repairs.

The decision to delay the opening was taken by Lymington’s stand-in town clerk, Pat Higgins. Last night she was unavailable for comment.