A MIRROR pool with no water faced those who headed to Centenary Square today in what was one of the hottest April days for many years.
As the mercury rose to 24oC, families made a beeline to the city centre attraction, which was part of a £24.4 million flagship City Park project, to enjoy the paddling pool and take advantage of the cooling qualities of the fountains.

But instead of squeals of delight from bathing costume-clad youngsters running in and out of the water, there was near silence as not a drop of the wet stuff was to be found.

The problem, we are told, was a maintenance one, in that essential work had been put off due to recent poor weather.

But that did not ease the disappointment felt by families who had headed to the pool so their children could enjoy a dip in safety.

"I feel really let down," said Rachel Carver, from Bingley, who had spend over £10 to bring her three children, one of whom is 18, to Bradford on the train.

"We all knew the weather was forecast to be good this week so why didn't the council do the work earlier?

"My three-year-old daughter was looking forward to a paddle because she remembered it from last year.

"I was also looking forward to seeing my one-year-old son playing in it for the first time.

"It was a waste of train travel so we will just have an ice cream and go back home."
Muhammed Ali, who lives in the city with his wife and four children said he was disappointed with the council.

"I brought the children here specially because the weather was so good and we wanted to make the most of the local amenities.

"To find it empty of water was a disappointment. The city will have lost out on a lot of revenue today because people have been going when they saw the pool empty.

"It's just another job the council hasn't got on with, a bit like all the potholes."

Another person said they knew of a woman who had travelled from Cleckheaton with her children specially for them to play in the pool.

Umardutt Farooq, whose son, Mohammed, pictured above, was one of those who could not paddle today said: "I brought my four-year-old and three-year-old sons to the mirror pool so they could play in the water and they were really disappointed there was no water. 

"I bought them an ice lolly to cheer them up.

"Hopefully there will be water and sunshine tomorrow."

Several others had resorted to picnicking in the centre of the pool or sitting around the edge.

Bradford Council said they were re-grouting the setts in the bottom of the pool and had tweeted this morning to say they hoped to have water in it again tomorrow.
It read: "Thank you for your patience while we re-grout the mirror pool's stone setts. The sealant needs to dry today but the pool will be opened earlier than planned - midday tomorrow (Friday April 20)." 

This tweet was quickly responded to: 

@bradfordmdc Where’s the mirror pool on the hottest day of the year? pic.twitter.com/umUwNhKrfo