Pool at Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Sudbury set to reopen in December after months of work

A Sudbury swimming pool that shut several months ago for safety reasons is set to reopen in the coming weeks after extensive work.

Babergh District Council has confirmed that visitors will once again be able to dive into the pool facilities at Kingfisher Leisure Centre from December 11.

The pool has been shut since August 23 when the glass roof above the pool shattered. In September, it was revealed work would take at least another 12 weeks.

Other parts of the leisure centre, including the gym, remained open as normal.

In the wake of the accident, the authority is considering the long-term options for the roof, which contains about 170 panels.

It is expected that plans will be lodged in the coming months.

Cllr Laura Smith, Babergh’s cabinet member for thriving communities, said: “We’d like to thank everyone for their understanding – we know this closure has caused disruption, but we have had to put people’s safety first.

“This has been a complex problem, and we have had to balance the need to reopen the pool as quickly as possible with finding the best long-term solution for the leisure centre and its users.

“We are delighted the pool can now reopen and can’t wait to welcome swimmers back.”

The work saw the glass roof above the pool sealed, with an additional platform installed beneath it.

However, this has limited access to the spectator seating area, Cllr Smith said.

The pool building is nearly 40 years old and Babergh has invested nearly £2.3m into the leisure centre since 2019.

The building is owned by the council and run not-for-profit by Abbeycroft Leisure.

Warren Smyth, chief executive of Abbeycroft, said the team knew how frustrating the closure had been for pool users – and would be delighted to see it return.

He added: “We will be contacting customers directly about their memberships and until the pool reopens all other Kingfisher facilities remain open and members can use any of our other five swimming pools. I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”