Market Drayton pool finally reopens after string of delays

A Shropshire swimming pool has finally reopened after repair work expected to take a fortnight eventually took three months.

The main pool at Market Drayton Swimming Centre was closed on March 12 and the work has been hit by delays after more problems were discovered.

Town mayor, Councillor Steve Glover, said people had become disgruntled over the length of the closure, but welcomed the re-opening.

He said: "Thank goodness it is up and running again, I am sure people will be happy to have it back for part of half term.

"So many people use the pool, for recreation as well as hydrotherapy, and for many they use it on a daily basis.

"Once they get back into the swing of it people will use it a lot again. When the weather improves the outdoor area will be used a heck of a lot too."

The main pool closed 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.

But contractors discovered more problems and had to dig six holes in and around the pool to identify a further leak.

Once the broken pipe was found it was repaired, the holes were refilled and the pool was also re-tiled.

The pool has been gradually filled with water over the last two weeks.

Shropshire Council announced in April swimming would be free on Tuesdays at the pools it operates in a bid to promote healthy lifestyles ahead of the London Olympics.

But because of the major leak at Market Drayton's pool, the town has missed out on the bulk of the promotion, which runs to the end of this month.

Shirehall officials have said there are no plans to extend the free swimming offer in the town but residents will be able to take advantage of the offer on June 12, June 19 and June 26.

Councillor Glover said some people would 'moan' about the town missing out on free swimming sessions but the main thing was that the pool was open again.

Market Drayton is one of the main competition pools in the county and is regularly used to stage major galas including the annual county championships.

A number of galas had to be switched as a result of the closure, including the Shropshire Secondary Schools championships last month