REDCAR MP Jacob Young has raised the “difficult situation” regarding Eston baths in Parliament with Leader of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The 50-year-old pool building, part of Eston Leisure Centre, has been closed since last June due to a flooding incident.

Last week Redcar and Cleveland Council agreed a motion committing the authority to start work on a new “fit for the future” baths immediately with council leader Mary Lanigan pledging spades in the ground within 18 months.

An inspection report by Stockton-based engineering consultants Billinghurst George & Partners put the cost of repairing and maintaining the current facility at nearly £3m and suggested the expense and limited design life of any repairs meant it was more feasible to send the bulldozers in and construct a new pool.

It said elements of the fabric of the building had not been adequately maintained, were now in a very poor state of repair and required significant remedial work.

Mr Rees-Mogg said: “He [Mr Young] is an absolutely brilliant champion for his Redcar constituents and in ensuring they get to have a swim.”

Conservative Mr Young had referred to the importance of community swimming pools and later added on Facebook: “I will do whatever I can to make sure the process of getting a new pool is as quick as possible and help to get provisions put in place in the meantime.

“By raising this with the Leader of the House, he will now let other ministers know what was brought up in this session – and it brings it further to the attention of the Government.

“I’m working on a plan with the council on a brand new pool for our area and hope to be able to share parts of that over the summer.”

Labour members had been pushing for the council to carry out the necessary repairs to get the pool open again without delay.

But a motion along these lines proposed by South Bank councillor Sue Jeffrey failed to win enough support amid claims it would mean “£3m down the drain”.

Leader of the Labour group, Councillor Carl Quartermain complained that a previous report drawn up by council officers, which said repairing and reopening the pool was the only viable option to protect a key service and public health, had been “pulled” by the ruling independent/Liberal Democrat administration.

But council leader Mary Lanigan said it was just for cabinet members’ information.