Pool in Osprey Leisure Centre to close for "urgent and essential" work

The swimming pool at Osprey Leisure Centre, Castletown, will close for three weeks to undergo work to the filtration system after tens of thousands of pounds for new filters was secured through fundraising and a grant from the borough council.

A leak was found in the swimming pool water filters during routine maintenance and repair works.

The steel filter tanks were installed when the building was constructed by the Navy in 1985.

Bosses at the centre had warned that without upgrade work the existing filters would fail and the pool would have to close.

It made an urgent request for financial assistance from the South Dorset Community Sports Trust (SDCST) which manages the site, anticipating that the cost of the works would be in excess of £70k.

In August last year, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's (WPBC) management committee approved a one-off grant of £65,000 towards the Trust. In October, the committee voted to vary the purpose of the grant to fund urgent repairs at the leisure centre.

WPBC handed over management of the centre to the Trust in 2007.

Dr Paul Mason, director at SDCST, said: "When the Navy left only two of the three pool filters were working and over the past 10 years we have had to patch and repair them. However, toward the end of 2017 it was clear that they had to be replaced.

"What this does mean is we need to close the pool from February 26 for three weeks.

"We do appreciate and understand the inconvenience this represents for the local community and all our swimming pool users however this great news means the pool and leisure centres’ future is secured for many years to come.

"The rest of the sports centre remains very much open with fantastic fitness classes, gym, sports hall and café."

In a report put before the borough council's management committee on October 31, the centre was described as "an important recreational facility for the residents of Portland and other nearby areas of the borough."