WORCESTER Swimming Club has made a last-ditch appeal to councillors ahead of a crunch vote - saying they are presiding over a "once in a generation" decision.

On Tuesday all 35 city councillors will make a definitive decision on whether to build a new pool in Worcester.

The preferred option for the Conservative leadership is to spend £10.4 million on an eight-lane, competition standard pool by extending Perdiswell Leisure Centre.

Ahead of the vote Simon Richards, chairman of the swimming club, said: "The key message is, this isn't just a pool for Worcester Swimming Club, it's a once in a generation decision for the whole city.

"Sansome Walk pool opened around 1971, that's before I was born and shows how often these decisions come up - we're talking about a facility which will be around for 40 odd years.

"The word the (Conservative) cabinet used was ambition, what do we want for our great city - council officials have said it is affordable, so it comes down to what you want for Worcester.

"It's much bigger than just this swimming club, it's about health, it's about children, and it's about the tourism and economy side of things too.

"From my perspective it will bring thousands of people in for competitions."

A majority of just 18 supportive hands is needed to give it the green light after two years of debates and work on it.

If backed by full council a plan will be drawn up to fund the project including money from selling Sansome Walk pool, which will shut down once the new site opens, a loan, some cash from the £3.1 million for selling the Orchard House complex to the University of Worcester and a possible Sport England grant worth up to £2 million.

The new-look Perdiswell pool would be in operation by the end of 2016 under the current timetable.

The Tory leadership wants to rip up previous proposals for a six-lane, £7.7 million pool at Perdiswell in favour of going all out on the bigger facility.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, the leader, has called it a "straightforward" political decision" for the council but there are known to be sceptical opponents from other parties, including Lib Dem Liz Smith and at least several Labour backbenchers.