Historic lido to close after underground leaks

Saltdean Lido, in Brighton, is expected to be closed for three to four weeks

A historic lido in East Sussex is to temporarily close while repair works are carried out on an underground leak - months after an £11m revamp of the building.

Saltdean Lido, in Brighton, is expected to be closed for three to four weeks from Thursday.

Its owners said the work was to rectify the leak and improve the quality of the pipework around the pool.

An £11m restoration project to restore the UK’s only Grade II* listed coastal lido to its former glory was completed in July this year.

Saltdean Lido has experienced a number of underground leaks in recent years, the owners said.

“Despite our best efforts to keep the pool open during this period, we have been advised that there are structural risks in doing this and the water level should be reduced while excavation takes place,” a spokesman said.

“This means, very sadly, that it is necessary to close the pool until these essential works are completed.

“There is no good time to do this, but on balance, winter is better than summer.”

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The last pool session will be on Wednesday, with the work expected to take up to four weeks.

In July, work was completed to restore the art-deco hemisphere building's café, library, ballroom, exercise study and workplace.

The project cost £11m to complete and was paid for with community donations and National Lottery funding.