“Disgusting” Wishaw Sports Centre slated prior to Legionella outbreak

Jun 1 2011 by Euan McLelland, Wishaw Press
A WISHAW Sports Centre user slammed conditions inside its health suite as “disgusting” only two months ago.
Now the Legionella bug has been found in a different part of the facility, forcing leisure bosses to close the doors to the public last week.
Photographs submitted to the Wishaw Press by one concerned gym member had previously shown dirty shower heads, exposed electrical cables and a jacuzzi full of sludge, all taken in one visit to the centre.
In slating the cleanliness of the facilities inside Wishaw’s premier sports venue, the same disgruntled whistleblower even talked about a lesson in the dangers of Legionnaires’ Disease given to him by a member of the centre’s staff.
The man told the Wishaw Press: “The standards of general cleanliness and housekeeping at the facility are appalling. A lot of members – who pay a substantial amount of money each month to use the place – are extremely unhappy.
“There are missing and broken ceiling tiles, exposed cables and filthy vents.
“In addition, the shower head I photographed is disgusting. Who would want to stand under that? Goodness knows what would be raining down on you.
“In fact, when I was speaking to a member of staff once about hygiene he lectured me on the importance of cleanliness and the dangers of Legionnaires’ Disease! Talk about irony – you couldn’t make it up.”
The discovery of Legionella – in the dry area changing facilities away from the health suite – is now the latest health shock for the centre, a host venue for this year’s International Children’s Games.
A year ago, members were left hot under the collar after the air conditioning broke and was out of use for a number of weeks.