AFTER a stupid amount of debates, false dawns, will they or won't they drama, Worcester's Great Swimming Pool saga was finally settled this week, and for that we can all rejoice.

It's going to be an eight-laner, an expensive old whopper of a pool which will firmly put Worcester on the 'swimming map' as they say - and a victory for city Tories who had put their hat on getting a top-of-the-range facility from day one.

The Source was browsing our archives the other day and came across a hilarious article from 2008 when then-Worcester MP Mike Foster first called for a new pool, prompting a furious council response.

Labour man Foster said Sansome Walk pool was "coming to the end of its life", which prompted hysteria from city Tories, who said he was damaging the reputation of the facility - and ironically that Worcester hasn't got the money to afford a new pool.

Fast forward six years and we've now got Conservatives routinely hammering Sansome Walk as "crumbling", "rotting" and practically falling apart - maybe some PR advice is in order on how to protect taxpayers' assets while we still need them.

* ON the same topic, it is only right and fitting that when the new mega-pool opens, we name parts of it for those who made this dream possible.

How about the Wilkinson gym (he's been forced to sweat these last few weeks), the Mitchell sports hall (he'll knock your block off at a game of hockey), the Riaz learner pool (still trying to appear a Labour man) and the Geraghty car park (honouring his 'coolness' for public transport). Splosh!

* LABOUR Councillor Richard Udall was reading this very column, at 8.15am last Friday, and was rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack.

It proved to be a false alarm, which is a good job as his pals have told him the party couldn't afford a by-election - phew.

Apparently the docs have told our Richard to lose weight. How about, erm, a swim?!