A community protest swim will took place at Leeds Dock yesterday (25 August 2026). Swimmers and supporters are calling for the reinstatement of the site’s open water swimming licence, the return of a safe swimming space in Leeds, and the creation of more accessible blue-space swimming areas across the city.
Swimming has taken place at Leeds Dock for more than five years, Leeds Dock has been a thriving open water swimming venue. Until earlier this month, Love Open Water operated twice-weekly supervised swim sessions under licence, providing lifeguards and regular water-quality testing to ensure safe, accessible swimming.
The Leeds Dock swimming community is large and diverse. The associated Facebook group has over 3,000 members. Swimmers have used the dock for everything from short wellbeing dips to Ironman training, in all seasons and weather conditions. The activity has contributed significantly to the vibrancy of the area and has been welcomed by local residents.
Leeds Dock is easily accessible by public transport, unlike other open water swimming locations in Leeds. It is the only open water swim spot in the city centre.
The interim owners of the Leeds Dock Estate leasehold Interpath, who took over when Leaseco 23’s went into administration, made a last-minute decision not to renew the licence with Love Open Water this month.
This decision has removed access to the only supervised open water swimming space in Leeds, where water quality was regularly monitored and lifeguards were present.
The reasons for the decision remain unclear. A recent planning application for a larger pontoon was denied, and Leeds Dock Estate longterm leasehold is currently listed for sale for over £10million.
Channel 4’s recent series Dirty Business and reporting from Surfers Against Sewage highlight the growing risks posed by pollution in UK waterways. Raw sewage was discharged into seas, lakes and rivers almost one million times last year, causing illness, environmental damage, and long-term ecological harm.
Open water swimming carries inherent risks, but organisations such as NOWCA provide essential safety systems. These include cold-water inductions, trained lifeguards, and structured safety protocols that help swimmers build knowledge and confidence responsibly.
Leeds city centre offers many spaces for shopping, dining and commercial activity, but far fewer places for accessible recreation, wellbeing, and community connection.
Many European cities are becoming swimmable cities, transforming urban waterways into clean, safe, public swimming spaces.
Swimmable urban waterways provide:
- Improved physical, mental and social wellbeing
- Inclusive civic spaces
- Environmental resilience
- Stronger local communities
- Enhanced biodiversity and ecosystems
Open water swimming also provides significant health benefits, including improved mood, reduced stress, better sleep, enhanced cardiovascular fitness, and support for chronic conditions such as asthma and Type 2 diabetes. Swimming communities reduce social isolation and help build strong local networks.
In a city facing widening health inequalities, declining healthy life expectancy and rising obesity rates and social isolation, accessible spaces for sport and wellbeing are essential.
The campaigners, a collaboration between the Leeds Dock Swimming Community, Bramley Mermaids, Climate Action Leeds and Imagine Leeds, are calling for:
- Reinstatement of the Leeds Dock swimming licence
- A commitment to making Leeds a swimmable city
- More safe, accessible open water swimming spaces across Leeds
Swimmer Joe Nadar said:
“I am gutted about the closure of Leeds Dock swimming space. I have been regularly training there for years. I loved the friendly community, free cups of tea to warm up after in the winter and guaranteed safe place to swim.”
Vicky added:
“I loved being able to swim in the middle of our city and feel part of it in a different way. The coming together of urban and nature. It was great that swimmers could cycle or walk there.”
And Kirsty Hughes commented:
“I’m really gutted to hear that this place of safe, clean and accessible (by bike) outdoor swimming is under threat. What a loss this, unique to Leeds place, would be. Having somewhere to swim outdoors all year round that is safe, clean and offers such community spirit has supported both my physical and mental health….I know this is also true of all the connections I have made at Leeds dock.”
This post is based on a press release issued by Leeds Dock Protest Swim
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No one has the right to demand access to what is essentially private property nor demand an explanation for a change in access.
I suspect it costs in both licence fees and public liability insurance and i honesty don’t know whether there’s a charge to take a dip but i reckon that’s your reason.