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A group of nearly 200 health organisations, top athletes, and sports groups have written to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asking for more help with energy bills for pools and leisure centres.

In the letter the group makes an "urgent plea" to the government, to provide support for the "sport, recreation and physical activity sector".

Rebecca Adlington, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, David Weir, Jonnie Peacock and Ellie Robinson are some of the athletes who have signed the letter.

They are asking for pools and leisure centres to get extra support with rising energy bills.

Along with top athletes, The Rugby Football Union (RFU), England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), British Cycling, Swim England and the British Paralympic Association have all signed the letter.

From April the government is reducing its help with energy support. Libraries, museums and galleries will be able to get extra help, but pools and leisure centres are not eligible.

The group says without the help, it will lead to "an escalation of service reductions and closures at swimming pools, gyms, leisure centres, community facilities and clubs across the UK".

In the past year 29 leisure centres, pools or gym have closed temporarily or permanently because of increasing energy prices, according to research by UK Active.

There's also more than 300 others who have taken steps to help with higher bills such as reducing their opening hours, increasing their prices or lowering pool temperatures.

In the letter the group asks the Prime Minister to class swimming pools as energy intensive, so they can get access to a higher level of discount on prices.

A government spokesperson said: "We know our grassroots sports facilities are contending with increases in running costs.

"We provided an £18bn package of support for organisations including clubs, pools, leisure centres, schools, charities and businesses through the winter.

"We made £1bn available to ensure the survival of sports and leisure sectors during the pandemic, giving councils an additional £3.7bn to deliver key services such as leisure centres and swimming pools, and we are investing £300m to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK."