THE POOL at Cleethorpes Leisure Centre will reopen today following "thorough" tests on new flooring.

A brand new tiled floor now surrounds the pool, which closed on June 15 to allow controversial anti-slip flooring to be replaced.

It reopened in February following a five-month refurbishment before closing on March 2 following a "number of incidents" related to the "slippery floor".

Work was carried out on the floor and the pool was reopened on April 8, before it closed again following fresh complaints.

The pool is open to the public all day tomorrow, from 7am until 9pm.

Councillor Mick Burnett, portfolio holder for leisure, said: "We fully empathise with our swimming customers who have experienced many months of disruption with very little access following the reopening of the pool in February.

"We have a great facility and we want to ensure that all fixtures are of the highest standard. This resulted in a decision to replace the flooring material surrounding the pool, laid during its refurbishment. We are very happy with the new tiled flooring which is much more suitable for the leisure pool and our users.

"We are confident that our customers will also be satisfied with the further improvements and eagerly welcome them back to once again enjoy our swimming facilities at the leisure centre."

NELC said a thorough, independent test had been carried out on the flooring to ensure it conforms to industry standards.

Nick Booth, from Cofely, said: "Cofely recognise the importance of all public facilities and will continue to work in partnership with NELC to ensure that the provision of these services support the needs of all, giving both residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from these great facilities."

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A HOME care agency has been told it needs immediate improvement by inspectors after failing to meet nine of the 11 national standards that were tested.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is taking action to protect the safety and welfare of people receiving care from Aamina Homecare Limited in Immingham, which has about 130 patients in North East and North Lincolnshire.

In a report, CQC inspectors identify the findings from an unannounced inspection of the home care agency which took place in April as part of CQC's scheduled inspection programme for 2014/15.

Visiting inspectors reviewed a sample of care and treatment records and spoke with people using the service, their relatives, and members of staff.

Staff showed a genuine care for the people they were supporting and several people using the service spoke positively about the service they received.

However, inspectors identified the following concerns:

People using the service did not always receive care or support that was appropriate to their needs. Care plans did not always assess needs, and where they did they were not always followed.

Inspectors found evidence of occasions when safeguarding concerns had been raised but staff had failed to follow the correct policies and procedures to alert the relevant agencies.

Medication administration records contained gaps and discrepancies in recording so it was not always clear whether people were receiving their medicines as prescribed

A number of people using the service told inspectors that care staff visits were frequently delayed and on some occasions missed entirely.

A review of staff training records showed that 62 out of 75 members of staff had not undertaken appropriate training in the safe administration of medication. In addition, 11 staff members had not received formal training of any kind other than their induction.

The agency was failing to effectively monitor the quality of service being provided or to identify and manage risks to those receiving care.

Personal care records for people using the service contained inaccuracies and were not always up-to-date.

As a result of the inspection, CQC has issued four formal warnings to the agency requiring improvements in relation to care and welfare of people who use services, safeguarding of people who use services from abuse, supporting workers, and assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.

The agency must also take action to address shortfalls against the additional five standards that are not being met.

Debbie Westhead, CQC's deputy chief inspector of adult social care in the North said: "The failings at Aamina Homecare Limited are just not acceptable. We have told the provider very clearly where improvements must be made."

A spokesman for Aamina Homecare said: "It is true that we had some failings in certain areas of record keeping.

"It is also true that with a high turnover of staff it was difficult to keep up with training demands.

"All records are now being monitored daily and all of our staff are trained to CQC standards."

He said the company had already identified areas for improvement and was in the process of an overhaul at the time of the inspection to meet necessary standards.

"This is now complete and we now have a customer service department."

He said the firm continued to attract positive feedback from staff, service users and their families.

The agency has since been re-inspected and the report is in the draft stages.

Keep reading your Grimsby Telegraph for updates.

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PAUL Hurst is hoping to have another look at Jon-Paul Pittman tomorrow evening – provided the striker himself is keen to stay on.

The former Wycombe Wanderers forward joined fellow trialists Joe Ironside and Craig Clay in Grimsby Town's squad for Tuesday night's defeat to Doncaster Rovers.

And after a lively display from the Oklahoma-born frontman, the Mariners' boss would like another glimpse of the 27-year-old against Mansfield tomorrow evening.

"I've said I want to have another look at him, but whether he thinks that I've had that chance now I don't know," remarked Hurst.

"He might even think 'I'm not so sure about the place' – I just don't know.

"I'd like to have another look at him tomorrow. I thought he showed enough (against Doncaster) to certainly warrant that, so fingers- crossed he'll be open to that idea.

"He showed he's not bad in the air without being an obvious big man. He's got good spring, he brought one down on his chest very well and he can hold it up."

Hurst also admits that the clash with the Stags at Blundell Park could be Ironside and Clay's last opportunity to impress.

He added: "I've seen both of them on a few occasions now and I've got a rough idea what my decision could be, but it's not final.

"There's nothing more happening at present. There are decisions to be made on those two and Jon-Paul, and they are in the box seat for deals I suppose.

"That's not to say I haven't made a couple of calls about other players, but as it stands we've got a squad we've been working with and I'm not sure we'll be adding to that before tomorrow."

The Town manager has been keen to keep his choice of trialists relatively low-key – something that is particularly difficult in this day and age of social media and message-boards.

"It's great for fans wanting to know and I understand that, but at the same time we don't always have to alert other clubs," Hurst said.

"They might be willing to put an offer on the table. We don't who else might come in or if another offer might be more enticing for them.

"Most people have an idea of who they but we don't want to make it 'too' public because each situation is different from the others."

GRIMSBY Town have enough money remaining in the pot for two strikers and a midfielder – according to director John Fenty.

The Mariners have added five new faces to their squad this summer ahead of their next assault on the Conference Premier.

Scott Brown, Jack Mackreth, Toto Nsiala, Carl Magnay and Nathan Arnold have all committed for the upcoming campaign.

The search for a new striker continues, however, after moves for Omar Bogle and Connor Jennings failed to reap rewards.

Speaking yesterday, Fenty was quick to stress that money was not the stumbling block in either case – and he insists that Town's budget can withstand up to three more additions.

"I've been very happy with the additional players that we've brought in," he told the Telegraph.

"We're content with where we are – we've lost out on a couple of players for one reason or another, which has been disappointing, but that wasn't due to financial restraints.

"None of those were financial – it was more to do with location.

"We move on and I know Paul (Hurst) has got irons in the fire with regard to a couple more strikers and potentially a midfielder.

"I'm sure we'll be signing at least one striker before the season starts, then maybe dipping into the loan market. Nevertheless, we have a budget for two strikers and a midfielder.

"Aside of that, there is loan budget we can dip into later. It isn't excessive, but will enable us to cover injuries and the like."

Fenty concedes that the search for new strikers can be frustrating for supporters.

"Everybody wants to see goalscorers at the club," he added. We've already got potential for that, but we've also got the capacity for good additions and I'm confident of getting those in.

"I would just ask fans to be patient. We're in safe hands with Paul, and by the time, we're ready to compete we'll be in good shape.

"We're quite content with where we're going and looking forward to assembling a completed squad."

"It makes me sick to my stomach. Words fail me."

That was the reaction of St Andrew's Hospice patient Kellie Gray after the THIRD break-in at one of the hospice's charity shops.

Around £400 worth of jewellery was stolen after thieves smashed their way into the shop in Grimsby's West St Mary's Gate on Saturday morning – just weeks after thieves stole £215 from the charity shop in Cromwell Road.

In April, heartless criminals stole hospice collection pots from the Imperial pub in Cleethorpes, depriving the charity of more than £400, and in May vandals smashed windows at the newly-opened hospice shop in Skegness.

Kellie Gray, 39, who has an untreatable condition which has left her stomach paralysed since the age of 11, is a regular patient at the Peaks Lane site and said she was sickened to hear of the latest incident.

It is believed the thieves scaled rooftops to break into the first floor of the premises, smashing a back room window and squeezing through a narrow gap between security bars.

They went downstairs into the shop itself and stole jewellery from display cabinets, discarding boxes around the floor. They were disturbed by a security guard who responded to the alarm. They fled through an upstairs window.

"I don't know how they can sleep at night," said Kellie.

"People have made sacrifices to raise that money, whether its the volunteers in the shops or people donating their belongings, and it's heartbreaking.

"I doubt these people will read this but I hope somehow the message will reach them. They might get a kick out of it but I just hope none of their families ever need a hospice."

Kellie, who lives in Market Rasen, has a very rare form of gastroparesis, though it took a number of years to be diagnosed.

She has also had diabetes complications for the past 13 years, leaving her unable to work.

She is dependent upon feeding tubes for much of her food and spends a day a week at the hospice, as well as regular respite stays.

She said the impact of the hospice on her life in the past five years has been "immense".

"I don't know what I'd do without it," she said.

"It's so vital to patients and their families and every penny counts to ensure continuity of care.

"But I think of the children's hospice more when I hear about these thefts. We're not here for a laugh, we're here because the hospice gives us a quality of life.

"When you come here there's an unspoken understanding of positivity, you meet people who have had it bad, you can come here not wanting to face anything but gradually it changes."

Emily Appleton, the hospice's retail operations manager, said of the latest break-in: "This is a very distressing incident, occurring just weeks after another of our shops in Grimsby was also targeted by a thief.

"Thankfully security is very high at all of our shops and security was on the scene within minutes.

"Nevertheless, it's very unpleasant and an insult to not only those who donate to our shops, but to our many patients with life-limiting illnesses."

All of the hospice's shops are staffed by volunteers.

Emily added: "Our volunteers arrived at the store on Saturday morning to open up and found empty jewellery boxes littered all over the floor. Naturally, they were very upset."

Sue Davis, a volunteer at the hospice, opened the shop first thing on Saturday morning. She said: "I must have been there at about 7.40am to open the shop as I normally do, and the alarm was working fine.

"I found counters had been cleared and there were boxes of jewellery all over the floor. To have this happen so soon after the first incident is very frustrating."

If you have any information in connection with any of the incidents, call police on 101 quoting crime reference number AA/2057582.

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A TAXI driver came to the rescue and proved to be more than a Good Samaritan when she found a 91-year-old customer collapsed on the top landing of the stairs at her home.

Tracey King became an "angel of mercy" – comforting the frail pensioner, calling the emergency services and alerting the woman's daughter.

She accompanied Maisie Watson to the emergency admissions department at the Diana, Princess Of Wales Hospital, Grimsby, and stayed with her until her daughter arrived after a four-hour drive from Hertfordshire.

Mrs Watson, of Welholme Road, Grimsby, was found to have suffered a head injury, a broken collarbone and broken ribs.

But, despite these injuries, she was able to talk to the hospital staff.

However, Mrs Watson died just over two weeks later after accidentally falling on the hospital ward.

She was admitted to the hospital on November 9 but fell at about 12.30am on December 3. She died at about 5am the same night.

At an inquest at Cleethorpes Town Hall, a pathologist gave the cause of her death as a head injury, with bleeding between the skull and the brain.

Staff nurse Catherine Greensmith said another female patient alerted staff after Mrs Watson fell.

"She obviously had the sense to call and alert us – sadly, after she had fallen and not before," said Nurse Greensmith.

"We saw her and went straight in to the bay. Maisie was found on the floor.

"She must have taken a couple of steps because she wasn't directly at the bottom of the bed.

"She must have banged her head. She had a small laceration on her forehead.

"We did check her to make sure it was all right. The cut on her head had to be cleaned."

A doctor was called and the site manager also attended.

The inquest was told that efforts were being made to tackle the specific needs of fragile and elderly patients, especially as the proportion of such people in the population was increasing.

Deborah Bagley, operational matron for surgery and critical care, said that a manager was looking at buying more low beds and an order had been put in.

But she added: "A low bed and a mattress next to it would not prevent patients getting out of bed all the time."

Coroner Paul Kelly said: "Low beds are available and would be assigned on a case-by-case basis. Mrs Watson didn't fulfil the criteria for being put on a low bed."

Mrs Watson's daughter, Susan Barnard, of Hemel Hempstead, questioned during the inquest whether the bedside push-button alarm call system was adequate – especially if staff were busy and the patient was badly injured, uncomfortable, in pain, fragile and intermittently confused. Mrs Barnard suggested that better technology should be available and that, although these matters raised issues of resources and priorities within the health trust, the responses to patients' calls would be better met if there were more staff.

Mrs Barnard, 66, a retired head of planning at the London Borough of Hillingdon, said she had been told that the head injury suffered by her mother in her fall on the ward was very serious and was, in all likelihood, an irrecoverable injury. She said that her mother had been firm in her view that she did not want to endure major surgery or long convalescence if the end of her life was near.

Mr Kelly recorded a verdict that Mrs Watson died of an accidental fall.

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THE swimming pool at Cleethorpes Leisure Centre is "back and here to stay" – council bosses have pledged.

After five weeks of closure, while a problematic floor was being replaced, swimmers finally jumped back into the pool yesterday.

It has been a controversial ten months for the seaside facility, since it first underwent a £2.5-milllion refurbishment.

But yesterday Euan Gloyn, the centre manager, welcomed back people from across the area, just in time for the summer holidays.

Euan said: "Cleethorpes is a great place, especially in the summer.

"We are very much part of that atmosphere.

"You have got the beach and the sea, and our swimming pool.

"We continued business on the dry side, but our main attraction is the swimming pool, and we are delighted to be back.

"It was great to see so many people around yesterday, and I think that shows how much the pool is loved in the town."

Until yesterday, the pool had been closed while a resin coated quartz surface was replaced with a tiled material. It came following concerns raised by users, who reported a number of slips and falls, and North East Lincolnshire Council, and the new floor now been passed by an independent test.

But it wasn't the first time the facility had encountered problems.

During the initial refurbishment – managed by the council's engineering partner, Cofely – the pool was shut for five months until February 14.

But it was closed again on March 2 after a "number of incidents" related to the "slippery floor".

And while work was carried out for a second time, ending on April 8, the pool again closed its doors on June 15.

Despite those issues, though, the future is bright for our area's swimmers.

Grimsby man Thomas O'Dell, who brings eight-year-old son Sean to the pool every week, is among those delighted by the reopening.

He said: "We are both so happy to be back in the pool.

"He has swimming lessons at school, but it's great to have somewhere that we can come to enjoy some father and son time.

Anton Hamilton, who attends the facility with his three-year-old son Eli, added: "There were problems with the floor before, but they have got it just right this time.

"You can see how much of an improvement they have made, and hopefully it stays that way so we can keep using what is a brilliant pool.

And the smiles even stretch out of the area.

Doncaster mum Anna-Mae Hobson, who travelled to Cleethorpes with seven-year-old daughter Donna, added: "We didn't even know it was closed.

"It was our first visit to the pool, but we spent four hours in there and really enjoyed it, so we will definitely be coming back."

Councillor Mick Burnett, portfolio holder for leisure, added: "Cleethorpes Leisure Centre is one of the area's main facilities, and the swimming pool is back and here to stay.

"I would like to thank everyone that has worked so hard to get the floor up to scratch.

"Euan and his team have been fantastic, as have the company who came into carry out the repairs.

"We are delighted to see so many people already using the pool again, and we hope to see them throughout the holidays."

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THE cost of hiring Great Coates Village Hall could be increased as councillors seek to overcome an £8,000 shortfall in the budget.

Interim clerk to the council, Dave Jackson, said the council's budget was "barely viable".

An interim report was delivered by Mr Jackson just weeks after another one into the state of the council's accounts found a number of failings.

At the latest meeting of the village council, Mr Jackson said: "The council has been left with a legacy it cannot afford."

He told how a business rate was initially budgeted for at £1,200 but turned out to be £5,300.

He said improvements had been made and new procedures implemented since the previous report.

However, the council has been left with an £8,000 gap as the budget was set at £50,645, but the precept on villagers was fixed at just £42,300.

Councillors were told there was only £3,000 in reserves.

The biggest costs the council faces include restoration of the village war memorial, the village newsletter and a caretaker for the hall.

Mr Jackson said: "The council is going to struggle over the next few years if the hall cannot generate substantial sums.

"Additionally, even if the war memorial can be reinstated with grant income, it is still unclear how there will be sufficient surpluses in the next few years to build up any realistic reserves.

He recommended increasing the hall hire fee to £15 an hour in line with other villages and towns.

Regular, long-term hiring for activities and commercial groups is currently £12 per hour.

For village groups and not-for-profit organisations, the cost is £15 per session up to a maximum of three hours, or £7 per hour for individual one-hour slots.

A volunteer clerk is also being sought to avoid paying clerk costs.

Mr Jackson said: "While it is not impossible, it will be very difficult for the council to continue to function properly without additional reserves and without an increased revenue stream. The precept has been raised to an historically high level and while it is not significant when interrogated as a part of the total bill, I sense that there is little appetite to raise it again.

"Sadly, though, there will be little option if the council wishes to operate independently in the future."

A decision is expected to be made at the next parish council meeting in August.

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FLOOD-HIT residents face an anxious wait to find out if they will receive compensation for electrical items ruined in last weekend's power surge.

As previously reported, localised flooding affected several parts of North East Lincolnshire after torrential downpours hit the borough.

And more than 160 homes in the Cromwell Road area of Grimsby were without electricity for 18 hours after a power surge which is believed to have been caused by the floods.

Engineers from Northern Powergrid restored power to the properties and are in the process of replacing "essential appliances" – such as washing machines, cookers and burglar alarms.

It has also promised to pay each household affected £200 for the inconvenience caused by the power cut – more than the £54 recommended by industry regulator Ofgem.

However, householders who also lost hundreds of pounds worth of other electrical goods, such as televisions, DVD players and computers, believe they should be recompensed for these items, too. Northern Powergrid says it will be urgently assessing additional claims for financial assistance, but warned this could take some time.

Morton Road resident Carol Barratt, 73, said: "I got the impression that we have to go to our insurance companies, which I think is wrong because it's something that wasn't our fault."

Her neighbour, who did not wish to be named, expressed concerns that her premium would go up if she had to claim on her house insurance.

She said: "It blew the wireless hub, the Virgin TV box, the television, the secondary phone upstairs, the DVD player, the central heating clock, two laptops plus the chargers and the electric recliner in the sofa."

Emma Last, 29, said her boiler and burglar alarm had been replaced but she was still waiting for her washing machine to be repaired.

"Yesterday I was told it would either be yesterday or today. When the engineer came he said he didn't have any parts. It turns out I'm going to be waiting a week and half."

Lauren Meadows, 24, said her microwave was destroyed in the power cut.

"It's still inconvenient because I have a newborn baby so I had to go to other people's houses to sterilise his bottles. I had a letter this morning saying I was going to get £200 for the inconvenience. We have just bought a new microwave, anyway."

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GRIMSBY Town boss Paul Hurst says he wouldn't rule out a move for striker Alan Connell.

The former Mariners frontman, pictured, is currently without a club after failing to convince Town legend Wayne Burnett to offer him a deal at Dagenham & Redbridge after a long trial.

Hurst remains in the market for at least one forward, while the man who hit 29 goals in one season for Town remains a free agent.

"I'd never rule it out," Hurst said. "As far as I was aware he was still at Dagenham. If that's changed, so be it.

"He obviously did extremely well here, but at this moment in time I'm certainly exploring other options."

So, after three years back in the league, would Connell's wage demands be a problem for the Mariners?

"Who knows? If he hasn't got a club that often changes parameters for people," added Hurst.

"But at the moment it's not in my thinking really."