FURTHER inspection of a damaged roof at Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Sudbury has highlighted extensive works are required before the town's swimming pool can reopen to the public.

The pool initially closed on Friday, 23 August to allow for an investigation and repairs to be carried out after damage to a glass panel above the pool. 

It was hoped the pool would be able to quickly reopen, but it soon became apparent that the complexity of the repair and time required for the supply of the specialist replacement glass panels would mean a longer closure.

Now further investigations have revealed additional work to the roof is needed – meaning the pool will be closed for at least a further 12 weeks.

All other facilities at Kingfisher, including the gym and sauna, remain open as usual.

The leisure centre is owned by Babergh District Council and operated by not-for-profit social enterprise Abbeycroft.

The council invested more than £2.3m in extending and modernising the leisure centre by extending the gym, adding community studios, and refurbishing the poolside changing and toilet facilities in 2019. 

The original pool building, however, is nearly 40 years old.

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

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."

Warren Smyth, chief executive of Abbeycroft, added: "We're sorry to all our customers who will be disappointed by this news, but this work must be done. We have been contacting customers directly who have bookings with us, and we continue to thank everyone for their understanding.

"In the meantime, all other Kingfisher facilities remain open, while members can use any of our other five swimming pools as part of their membership."

Swim Academy members impacted by the closure will be notified by email and credits will be applied to their next Direct Debit when they return, or, if preferred, refunded. Future payments will be frozen.

If you have a booking affected by the closure, Abbeycroft will contact you to rebook or refund. Alternatively, you can call the contact centre on 01284 757473 between 9am-1pm at weekends or 9am-6pm weekdays.