York leisure chiefs have been told there is "no particular rush" for decisions over the future of the city's Barbican and Yearsley swimming pools.

Councillors were considering a 13,486-signature petition backing the Yearsley pool and one with 12,743 names for the Barbican.

The petitions were presented to the full City of York Council last month - but members of the Barbican action group took a further 372 signatures to the authority's leisure services committee meeting last night, pushing the total to 13,115.

The latest batch included signatures from children at St Aelred's Primary School and their families, adding to the seven local primary schools that already back the Barbican campaign.

Fiona Evans, of the Yearsley action group, told the committee that the combined total of the petitions stood at over 26,000.

"The petitions reflect the strong and passionate opposition that exists, not only amongst the swimmers, but from the community at large, to the threatened closure of two of York's most important swimming pools," she added. The future of the two pools is being considered as part of a wide-ranging review of leisure services in York, but committee chairman Coun Bob Scrase said there was not a lot to say at this stage.

No proposals had yet been put to the council, and a consultation process on the "best value" review of leisure would take place over the next couple of months.

Coun Scrase said there was "no particular rush" over making decisions.

Coun Gerald Dean said: "It's clear from these two petitions that they express vast public support for the retention of the Barbican and Yearsley swimming pools, and that remarkable public call must be taken seriously by the city council."