I went to Blackpool Lido with school and remember the cheap cola, sweets and the cockroaches crawling around!

We are talking about the long gone Lido Pool.

Pictures in days gone by have had readers reminiscing in their thousands over the last couple of years as they scrolled through our collections of old swimming pictures.

And their memories were incredible tales of youth, school swimming lessons and the food from the vending machines when you came out starving.

Without any reference to the actual pool reader Adele Knox said 'Best chicken soup' backed up by Joanna Heeney who added: Loved the chicken soup out of the vending machines, didn’t love the freezing cold water!"

Many people commented on the water, was it really that cold?

Mark Tomlinson did, he said it was the 'coldest place known to man'.

Among the happy memories of ten metre swimming certificates and parents teaching their children to swim, there were several references to cockroaches!

Tagging in her friend, Rachel Jackson said: "Remember our freezing swims with the plasters on the shower floor? And the cockroaches!" Urg!

Diane Clegg rememberd the cockroaches, "I went to Lido with school and got my cheap cola and sweets from the machine and see the roaches crawling along the seating area, those were the days!" Bantering with another reader, she added: "for some reason us 90s kids didn't bat an eyelid about them, now I'd be grossed out, I was more bothered about the vending machine!"

David Walton recalled the level of chlorine in the water which made his eyes sting and Dawn Ralph shared her nostalgic thoughts about getting to the baths on the bus.

She said: "So many happy times in there growing up., We either walked or got the number 53 from Daggers Hall Lane. It was 30p to get in, 5p for a locker that you got back, the vending machine for Burtons fish n chips, soup and then the walk home via Aintree Road. We stopped there for a 2p Ice lolly in the offy, or 20p open bag of chips if we had any money left!"

Those were the days...

More pictures: 29 retro photos of Blackpool Lido Pool where kids learned to swim in the 80s and 90s

Sign up for our free newsletters now