Swimmers say Weston-super-Mare's Marine Lake is a 'muddy mess'

• Watch Charlotte Gay's report.

Swimmers in Weston-super-Mare have complained that the marine lake has become a 'muddy mess' after a decade of neglect.

The mechanism which allows the waters to be drained for cleaning broke around 13 years ago.

Members of the Super Mares swimming group say regular maintenance would turn it into a huge asset for the town especially when low tide is a mile away from the shore.

Weston-super-Mare has one of the longest tidal ranges in the world which makes it dangerous to cross the sinking sands to reach the low tide.

When the seafront was redeveloped more than a decade ago, the sluice gates at the sea pool broke within six months but they were never repaired.

It means unlike the Marine Lake in neighbouring Clevedon, the pool here cannot be drained and dredged of the mud, silt and other rubbish that collects at the bottom.

As well as being unpleasant, those who are preparing for competitions says it hampers their training.

Super Mares group say they would like to replicate the Clevedon volunteer group, The Marlens

North Somerset Council has estimated it would cost at least £1 million to fix the gates and fully drain and clean the lake.

It says: "It is a priority, it is one of our few priorities. We've only been in administration for less than 12 months and we've had six months of that whipped away from under our feet. So we are making things happen. A bit slower than we'd like would have liked and we don't pretend is it a problem we need to solve. And it is a problem which we need to solve."

The council say it is willing to work with the volunteers to bring make the lake a destination for families and visitors.