Scarborough's £14m water park opening delayed

The water park covers a 13 hectare site and features indoor and outdoor pools, waterslides and a spa

The opening date of a £14m water park has been put back due to technical difficulties with water temperature, the company behind it has said.

Alpamare Scarborough had been due to open on Thursday in North Bay but will now not open until Saturday.

The company, also called Alpamare, said it had delayed the opening to ensure visitors got the "best experience".

The park had originally been due to open at Easter but that was cancelled due to construction delays.

Plans for the park were first proposed in 2005 but have faced several set-backs.

'Technical hitch'

Scarborough Borough Council stepped in with a £9m loan in 2009 to speed up delivery following the economic downturn and construction started in January 2015.

CEO of Alpamare Dr Anton Hoefter said: "We are introducing state of the art technology, unique in the UK, and we take great pride in delivering the highest standard of enjoyment and safety so people get the very best experience they can.

"For that reason, although we have been working as hard as we can to get everything ready on time, we have had to make the difficult decision to open a little later than originally planned."

Derek Bastiman, leader of Scarborough Borough Council, said there had been a fault with equipment which was disappointing but beyond anyone's control.

"It is a technical hitch but if the water is not up to temperature it would not be fair or right on fee-paying people."

He said he had been assured the problems would be fixed by Saturday.