OASIS: security to be ramped-up after alleged break-ins
Several videos have emerged online over recent months of people accessing the abandoned Leisure Centre
Last updated 18th Jun 2021
It's been revealed that extra security measures are set to be introduced at the Oasis in Swindon.
The leaseholder of the Leisure Centre, SevenCapital, will have all the entrances and windows covered with metal shutters - in an attempt to deter intruders.
The investment company has also announced that on-site security are now working at the North Star site "day and night".
This decision comes amid pressure from both the 'Save Oasis Swindon' campaign group and Swindon Borough Council's Leader, David Renard.
The Oasis has been subject to several alleged break-ins since November 2020, when it was announced that the iconic facility had shut indefinitely.
Footage has emerged online of urban explorers inside the Leisure Centre, with one of the videos getting more than 25,000 views.
According to those involved in that film, posted on the 'Kirbz Vids' YouTube channel in January 2021, the Oasis is "falling down" and smells like "mouldy spaghetti".
It can be seen in full below:
Despite Oasis bosses saying the facility was "broken into", the males in the video dispute this, claiming a door was left open.
In April, it was announced that the site would be used as a training centre for police dogs, with the hope that they could intercept potential security breaches.
However, the evidence suggests the move has had little impact. Another video emerged earlier this month, this time on Tik Tok, showing a young woman inside the Oasis pool.
'A lamentable state of affairs'
Save Oasis Swindon told Greatest Hits Radio: "(We) are of course both delighted and relieved that, at last, security is being tightened at the Oasis. But the question still needs asking, why it's taken this long?
"The SOS campaign have publicly begged Swindon Borough Council to do something about the security situation since the start of this year ... it really is a lamentable state of affairs all round.
"In a nutshell: relief and gratitude there is now proper security, tinged with sadness and bitterness that it's taken so long. Had Swindon Borough Council/SevenCapital acted promptly, the building wouldn't need nearly so much saving as it now does".
Save Oasis Swindon is holding a protest outside the facility on Saturday 19 June, with demonstrators calling for it to be refurbished and reopened.
Swindon Borough Council has previously told Greatest Hits Radio it's "so keen" to make this happen.