PEOPLE with a rare form of arthritis are terrified about what closing an “invaluable” hydrotherapy pool could mean for their health.

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is an incurable condition that usually develops in teenagers and young adults, leaving them with painful and swollen joints for the rest of their life.

Patients are often scared of staying still for too long, so regular physio and hydrotherapy sessions are vital.

Last month members of the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS) Wanstead branch were told the hydrotherapy pool at Whipps Cross Hospital is being drained and concreted over.

NASS members have donated money to use the Leytonstone pool for three hours a week since the one at Wanstead Hospital closed in 2008, and say they are “deeply upset” by the news.

The wife of one South Woodford user claims no one was consulted and the nearest alternative facilities at Mile End will be “impossible” for most people to get to.

She said: “Land physio is too painful for a lot of the members, so the hydro sessions are invaluable.

“Those three hours are the reason some of them can still go to work.

“When the pool was closed in December and January many suffered relapses. If they shut it altogether my husband’s health is going to get worse and worse.”

She says a rush-hour journey on the Tube from South Woodford to Mile End would be out of the question, as her husband’s balance problems would mean he would “fall over” without a seat.

A return taxi journey would cost around £50 – an expense the couple could only afford once a fortnight, which would mean less pool sessions and a greater risk of relapse.

“Let down” members are due to meet with site managers Barts Health today (August 16) to try to find a solution.

MP for Chingford and Woodford Green Iain Duncan Smith added: "I am greatly concerned the decision to close the hydrotherapy pool at Whipps Cross Hospital and I have written a letter urging them to think again and have asked if I can meet with the chief executive to speak about this as soon as possible."

A Barts Health spokesman said: “The number of patients needing the pool on the NHS has significantly reduced in recent years meaning it is no longer a good use of public funds to maintain it.

“We will speak to patient groups to understand the full impact of a permanent closure and are working with NASS to find a suitable alternative venue they can use.”