THE swimming pool at Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Sudbury has been closed to ensure public safety after surveys showed the pool requires a complete rebuild.

Building owners Babergh District Council had hoped ongoing repairs and maintenance would extend the pool's expected lifespan, but this is no longer viable.

Kingfisher's pool is now approaching 40 years old - Swim England, the national governing body for swimming in England, says the average life of a pool is 38 years.

The swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi must close with immediate effect.

All other Kingfisher facilities, including the gym, will remain open.

Cllr Laura Smith, cabinet member for thriving communities, said: "It is deeply disappointing that we have to close the pool, but we must put the safety of swimmers first.

"We had hoped ongoing repairs and maintenance would extend the life of the pool, which has a particularly challenging structure and design. But this is no longer a viable long-term solution.

"The extent of work required is so significant that a complete rebuild would be necessary.

"We are sorry to all pool users and staff who will be impacted. Swimming remains available at Hadleigh Pool and Leisure, and we are urgently looking for alternatives more locally to Sudbury.

"We also stress that the rest of Kingfisher Leisure Centre remains open."

The decision to close the pool has been taken following a new report which outlined its deteriorating condition and which could not guarantee people's safety moving forward.

The council has continued to invest in repairs and maintenance in recent years, and earmarked £875K this year, but the cost of a pool rebuild is far beyond this.

Cllr Smith added: "The problems faced by Kingfisher are not unique. We have seen other leisure pools built in the 1980s suffer from similar issues, with ageing structures reaching the end of their useful life.

"Only last year, Swim England warned increasing financial pressures, ageing facilities and rising costs were leading to more pool closures nationwide. It warned hundreds of public pools have been lost since 2010. Regrettably, Kingfisher's pool has now reached this point.

"We had already started to explore longer-term options for swimming facilities in Sudbury, and this work will continue. But the cost of building new pools is significant. How they are funded must be looked at on a national level."

The leisure centre is operated by not-for-profit social enterprise Abbeycroft.

Warren Smyth, chief executive of Abbeycroft, added: "We know how much this pool means to the people of Sudbury, and we understand the disappointment and frustration this news will cause for our members, swimmers and staff.

"As building owners, Babergh District Council has had to make this decision to protect public safety, and we fully support that. We will be doing everything we can to help our customers through this change and will be contacting all customers directly over the coming days to explain how they are affected and to talk through the options available to them, including alternative facilities at Hadleigh Pool and Leisure."

Information for pool users and members is available on the Abbeycroft website here.