Pictures: Hundreds march through Shrewsbury in bid to keep Quarry swimming pool

Shrewsbury's Quarry Swimming and Fitness Forum arranged the event, which started at the top of Pride Hill, ahead of a Shropshire Council decision on the pool's future.

Bernard Wills, chairman of the forum, said: "We want to continue to raise awareness of what is happening with the pool. The decision on the option is going to be made on July 13 and we want to make people aware and get them there to persuade the council that the people want the pool to stay in the town."

Shropshire Council's cabinet will make a decision on its preferred location for the pool later this month.

However, the authority has granted a 12 month period for a group made up of the forum, Shrewsbury's Business Improvement District, and Shrewsbury Town Council, to come up with an alternative management plan which would allow the pool to remain at its current location.

Mr Wills said he was bewildered at the council's insistence that a decision is taken before the alternative plan is completed.

He said: "The question is why is the council's cabinet taking a decision when they have given us, the BID, and the town council another year to come up with plans to keep it in the town? There is no reason.

"People are bewildered at why there is the panic to make this decision. Even at the most recent town council meeting the councillors were asking the same question, why are they doing this now? It is potentially sabotaging the efforts to keep it in the town.

"On the one hand they are saying you have 12 months to come up with a plan and nothing will happen in those 12 months, but on the other hand on July 13 they are going to say their reasons for moving it - and there is no doubt that they will want to move it to Sundorne.

"We believe there is no hard evidence saying it should go to Sundorne and you have more than 60 per cent of the pubic who want it to stay in the town centre. There is a real frustration at why they are doing this."