Summer opening date for new swimming pools announced

It took about 1,700,000 litres of water to fill the pools

Two new swimming pools are due to open in a Berkshire town in time for summer.

The pools at Rivermead Leisure Centre in Reading will be open to the public on 17 June.

New facilities at the centre include a 82ft (25m) pool, a teaching and diving pool and a splashpad area for children.

The pools took 12 days to fill with about 1,700,000 litres (374,000 gallons) of water.

The project is part of Reading Borough Council's £40m investment in leisure facilities in the town.

The leisure centre opened its gym, studio and soft play area in July 2023.

The new facilities include a splashpad play area for children

Adele Barnett-Ward, the council's lead for leisure and culture, said: "We are now just days away from delivering on our promise of more new pools in Reading and I’m sure residents are as excited as I am at the thought of being able to enjoy the new and improved facilities over the summer break.”

She said the new centre represented "yet another significant investment by the council" and provided modern swimming pools "fully fit for the future".

The main eight-lane pool has a partially-movable floor from poolside level to 5.9ft (1.8m) deep, making it adaptable for range of activities, including rehabilitation exercises and water aerobics.

The leisure centre opened in July 2023

The second pool, which will be used for teaching, has a dive tower and a springboard.

Alongside the two new pools and splashpad area, the centre will also have "state of the art" accessible changing facilities and two spectator seating areas.

While owned by the council, the leisure centre is run by Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) under the brand name Better.