A traffic light fell from the flumes at Dundee’s Olympia centre just weeks before a metal rod nearly hit swimmers, The Courier can reveal.
The beleaguered leisure facility was forced into a three-month closure in February after a problem was discovered with the red flume.
It came two days after a support rod became detached from the flume structure and fell close to swimmers below.
This was the third incident involving falling items since the centre reopened in December 2023.
It had been shut for two years whilst £6 million worth of repairs were carried out by Dundee construction firm Robertson.
‘This has been two lucky escapes’
A freedom of information request (FOI) has revealed further details of the near misses and concerns surrounding the Olympia.
On January 4, an email sent from a council official – whose name has been redacted – detailed how one of the traffic lights fell from the top of the flumes to the ground level.
The correspondence said: “This is now the second incident/near miss within a short period of time.
“I’ve discussed with our head of operations that it’s really concerning me that we have items unsecure that could fall onto people.
“We need the Robertson’s inspections to be carried out as a matter of urgency.
“We propose that a physical thorough inspection should also be carried out as there may be other high level items just waiting to fall.
“This has been two lucky escapes.”
The traffic light incident was the second time an item had fallen from height at the centre in less than week.
On December 29 the river rapids area was closed down as a precaution after a cable tray fell.
Correspondence between council officials show “the vibration from the working flumes” was determined as the “probable cause” of the failure.
The Courier reported on the river rapids closure earlier this year.
However Dundee City Council claimed it was to due “snagging” following the recent repairs.
The leisure and toddler pools were eventually closed on February 5 after the metal rod fell from a flume, causing an “explosion type noise” according to one email.
Flume pipework ‘not fit for purpose’
Documents obtained through the FOI request also revealed a myriad of problems with the Olympia flumes.
Following a site visit on February 13, contractors observed the original support system to the flume pipework was “not fit for purpose”, with various components missing or not installed correctly.
Officials also identified missing and broken threaded supports from the above flume platform.
In a joint statement, a spokesperson for Dundee City Council and Leisure & Culture Dundee said: “A number of issues which emerged at Olympia were dealt with and resolved.
“Dundee City Council and Leisure & Culture Dundee worked to ensure that facilities could be re-opened once those matters had been addressed.
“Health and safety remains a top priority at all times.”
Last week, The Courier revealed Olympia staff had to be hosed down after a toddler pool was “super-dosed” with chlorine.
An independent probe into what has gone wrong at the Olympia centre was approved by councillors earlier this year.
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