Pool shut for three months for roof panel damage

The swimming pool at Kingfisher Leisure Centre was originally going to be shut until the middle of September

A swimming pool that was forced to close after its roof was damaged has had its closure extended for at least three months.

Babergh District Council closed the Kingfisher Leisure Centre pool in Sudbury, Suffolk, on 23 August due to a damaged glass panel above the pool.

An initial closure was extended until mid-September but has been extended for 12 weeks due to "extensive works" required following an inspection.

Warren Smyth, the chief executive of Abbeycroft which operates the leisure centre on behalf of the council, apologised for the news.

The council said the "complexity of the repair" and time to get a supply of specialist glass panels required a longer closure.

Other facilities, including the gym and sauna, will remain open.

More than £2.3m was spent on modernising the leisure centre in 2019.

While the pool is closed, the council will also take the opportunity to carry out additional surveys and maintenance work, it said.

A council spokesperson said: “We know that the pool at Kingfisher Leisure Centre is a well-used and popular community facility, and appreciate the disappointment that its temporary closure will have caused, but people’s safety is our top priority, and more extensive repairs are required than first realised.”

Mr Smyth thanked customers for their understanding.

Customers will be able to use other pools operated by Abbeycroft while the closure is ongoing.