Huncote Leisure Centre to stay shut for longer over methane risk

Gas monitoring work in a nearby field found the high levels of methane

A leisure centre built on a former landfill site will stay shut "for the foreseeable future", a council says.

Huncote Leisure Centre in Leicestershire was closed in November due to high levels of methane in the air.

In December, Blaby District Council said the centre was unlikely to reopen until early spring.

The council has now said the site will remain shut "to ensure the long-term safety of people using the site".

The site surrounding the centre, including the public footpaths and parish council sports field, will also stay closed.

Scheduled gas monitoring and upgrade work in a nearby field uncovered the issue.

Since November, work including the installation of gas extraction systems, venting wells, and water sampling has been carried out.

Terry Richardson, leader of the council, said they were increasing the amount of money allocated to the job but "there is still work to do to get us into the position we need to be in for the site to be safe for the long-term".

He added: "This is an area of land that was a landfill site until the 1970s at a time when it was thought landfill sites would decompose and stop producing gas around 10 years after they stopped being used.

"In fact we now know it can take anywhere from 100-150 years and sometimes even longer for this to happen.

"With little or no checks on what was put into the old landfill site, it has meant that there is a mix of items decomposing at different rates, which is causing the excess landfill gas coming from the site."

Nearby residents face no risk to their properties, the council added.