Market Drayton Swimming Centre to reopen
The swimming pool at Market Drayton Swimming Centre will re-open on Wednesday 6 June following essential work to stop it from leaking.
The main pool closed on Monday 12 March so that it could be emptied and repair work could be carried out to a faulty valve at the bottom of the pool.
At the time the original estimate was for a closure of just two weeks. However, when the valve was repaired a pressure test of the pipe work leading to the pool found that problem had not been solved.
Further tests traced the problem to the pipework leading from the plant room to the pool. Once the broken pipe was found it was repaired, the excavated holes were refilled and the poolside was tiled.
The pool has been gradually filled with water over two weeks. Following a further problem with the pool’s heating system it is now being heated and has been chemically treated. Also, a bacteriological water test has now come back as satisfactory.
Councillor Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for active and healthy lifestyles, said:
“It has been an incredibly frustrating time as numerous problems were identified during repairs which prevented us from reopening sooner. I have to thank our property services team, leisure staff on site and contractors who have done their utmost to open as soon as possible. And I especially thank our loyal customers who have been unable to access the centre for nearly three months, I understand their frustrations too. We apologise that these repairs have taken so long and so many of our users have been inconvenienced.”
Staff are contacting parents of children on swimming lessons to inform them of the re-opening date and these parents should be assured that all payments will be honoured going forward into the new block of lessons. Local residents are also urged to take advantage of the free public swimming sessions on Tuesdays until the end of June (please check timetable details for session times).
Users can also sign up to take part in the British Gas Free Swim promotion; British Gas are supporting swimming at all levels in the lead up to the Olympics. This promotion allows one adult and two children to swim for free on any day (subject to timetabling) on two occasions up to the end of June. Not only will this increase participation but also raise awareness of our leisure centres and what is on offer. It is easy to take part – simply visit www.britishgasswimming.co.uk, follow the online instructions and vouchers will be sent directly to you.
