SPORT facilities in York have suffered a dramatic drop in visitor numbers, despite huge support to keep them open.

Council leaders recently bowed to pressure to drop proposals putting York's swimming pools under threat.

But figures show a 16 per cent drop in public swimming in the past three months. Other council-provided sports facilities have seen a 13 per cent decrease.

Considering the figures at a meeting of City of York Council's shadow executive body, Liberal Democrat leader Steve Galloway said: "Officer reports blame recent threats to the future of the facilities and the huge April 1 price increases for the fall off.

"However, they say the numbers are 'well below expectations, even though allowance has been made for the drop off due to price increases'."

Price rises of up to 45 per cent were approved by councillors earlier this year. The council's director of commercial services, David Finnegan, said: "When prices went up we expected a certain amount of resistance to that, but there have been less people coming than we thought."

He said cost efficiency meant financial targets were still being met, and it was up to the leisure department to increase usage.

But he said: "Leisure is at the centre of a best value review and we have invited private companies to come up with ideas on how to develop land."

He said action should wait until interest from private companies and the review's conclusions were known.