CONCERNS have been raised about the management of a North Yorkshire swimming pool.

Earlier this week, the general manager of Richmondshire Leisure Trust, Iain Garth, handed in his resignation.

The move came two weeks after Mr Garth denied rumours of a staffing crisis at Richmond Swimming Pool, which is run by the trust, when contacted by The Northern Echo.

It is understood that several full-time staff have left the pool in recent weeks.

Pool-users and community leaders have expressed concern about staffing levels at the facility.

The leisure trust is part-funded by a grant from Richmondshire District Council.

A spokesman for the authority said senior officers would be making contact with the trust to discuss staffing at the pool.

The trust was launched in 2005 to run sports sites formerly controlled by the district council and manage public access to Richmond School leisure facilities.

It was hoped its charitable status would mean it could access additional external funding.

Richmond councillor Stuart Parsons was one of several members who quizzed bosses of the trust at a council meeting earlier this year about the level of progress being made.

He said: "The council has previously expressed its concerns about the way the trust was moving forward. What's happened now has probably justified our concerns.

"Somehow we've now got to get it back up and running and get it sorted out as quickly as possible.

"I suspect that unless it can get sorted fairly quickly, the council will have to get involved.

"We have a duty of provision and we can't shirk our responsibilities."

One regular pool-user, who asked not to be named, said: "My children are booked in for swimming lessons on a Saturday morning, but if there's a shortage of staff I'm not sure I want to send them."

However, Alan Bell, the trustee from the leisure trust responsible for human resources, yesterday denied a staffing crisis existed.

He said: "The situation is totally under control. I can confirm that Iain Garth did resign and has left the business.

"We've had some turnover (of staff) of late but we're going to address that and get things sorted."