A swimming pool in a Suffolk town will remain closed for the next few months after investigations showed it needed extensive repairs.

The Kingfisher Leisure Centre Pool, in Sudbury's Station Road, will be closed for at least 12 weeks, Babergh District Council has announced.

In August, the pool was forced into a temporary closure due to the issue.

Investigations showed damage to a glass panel above the pool as well as to the roof.

The gym and sauna will remain open as usual while the work is carried out on the 40-year-old pool building.

Babergh District Council, which owns the leisure centre, has spent £2.3million in extending and modernising the site as part of a project back in 2019.

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

A Babergh 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.”

READ MORE: Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Sudbury shuts swimming pool

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.”

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

Swim Academy members affected 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.

Anyone with a booking at the site that has been affected by the closure will be contacted by Abbeycroft for either a rebooking or a refund.