A leisure centre has been forced to close its swimming pool after a glass panel directly above it was damaged.

A spokesman for the Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Sudbury said the panel was believed to have been broken overnight on Thursday.

The spokesman also confirmed the pool would have to be drained so scaffolding could be erected as part of the repair process.

This means the pool and health suite will be closed until Saturday, August 31 at the earliest.

All other Kingfisher facilities - including the gym - will remain open as usual.

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

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Deborah Saw, Babergh council leader, said: “We are sorry for any inconvenience the closure will cause over the next week, but people’s safety is of paramount importance.

"We will be working with our partners at Abbeycroft to resolve the issue as quickly as we can.”

Warren Smyth, chief executive of Abbeycroft, added: “We know how frustrating this will be for customers during the summer holidays, and we are sorry for any disruption caused.

"But we must ensure people’s safety.

“We will be contacting customers directly who have bookings with us and will update our website and social channels.”