THE streets of Nowra were deserted yesterday as residents attempted to escape the sweltering heat.

At 1.53pm the highest temperature of the day was recorded at 37.7 degrees with a relative humidity reading of just 14 per cent, an extremely dry recording for the Shoalhaven.

At 4.25am, the lowest temperature was recorded at 16.2 degrees Celsius with humidity at 99 per cent.

The wind earlier in the day offered little relief, the hot north-westerly was gusting at up to 38 knots.

As temperatures reached almost 38 degrees, there was barely a ripple at the Nowra community pool.

It was a ghostly sight, with just four children cooling off at around 3.40pm yesterday afternoon.

Fiona Phillips from the Save Nowra Community Pool working group, says council’s lack of advertising was to blame.

“I heard an advertisement on 2ST the other day and it was on every 15 minutes,” she said.

“It was announcing how every pool in the Shoalhaven was open and Nowra was the only one which didn’t get a mention.

“It’s quite unfair that it has been left out and I think it’s further evidence of a bid to run down Nowra pool and I have approached council about that.

“Now council can say, look it’s a heatwave and nobody’s there.”

No one from Shoalhaven City Council was available for comment.

Council is currently working on a master plan for the riverside precinct and preparing a local environmental plan, looking at reclassification and rezoning of the pool site.

Council expects to have the final master plan complete by early next year, when it will be presented to the public.