Broken diving pool floor leads Sunderland Aquatic Centre bosses to restrict sessions

Bosses at the complex in Monkwearmouth say they are waiting for a new part after the breakdown of equipment which operates the floor of its diving pool earlier this week.

It has led to a number of swimming sessions and classes to be cancelled, with a revised timetable drawn up until Friday, October 25.

The problem follows an earlier closure of the whole pool area last week and on Monday to allow for investigation work to be carried out ahead of repairs to its leaking roof.

Steve Dougal, general manager at Everyone Active, which runs the city’s leisure centre on behalf of Sunderland City Council, said: “Due to a technical issue with the control panel that operates the moveable floor of our diving pool, the floor is currently set at 4 metres and will remain at this depth until a replacement part is sourced.

“We are currently working with our external suppliers to rectify this issue as soon as possible.

“In the meantime, we have adjusted our pool programme to accommodate as many different activities into our main pool as possible.

“We will continue to keep our customers updated on all activities on our Facebook page.”We apologise for the inconvenience and thank customers for their patience and understanding.”

Among the classes to be cancelled are two adult and children classes, aqua fit and a learn to swim session.

More information and updates can be found via its Facebook page.

The £20 million centre opened a decade ago, with an out of court agreement deal reached with Balfour Beatty, which built the complex, as plans were drawn up to carry out the repairs to the roof of the council-owned building.

Remedial work is scheduled to take place next year and could take up to nine months, leading to the closure of its swimming facilities.