No opening date set yet for Chase Leisure Centre pool

COUNCIL bosses in Cannock have admitted they have no idea when the new pool at Chase Leisure Centre will be open.

District chiefs say they are in the hands of the contractors, who may not be able to meet their latest completion estimate of the end of September.

The new 25-metre pool, which should have opened on August 8, has been hit by a technical problem causing the tiling to crack when the pool is heated.

Councillor Christine Mitchell, leader for sport and culture, confirmed that although specialists have been brought in by the contractor, GF Tomlinson Ltd, no one is able to say when the problem might be fixed.

She said: "We're incredibly disappointed with the delay to the swimming pool but I can assure residents that everything is being done to get the pool open and ready for use as quickly as possible. I'd like to apologise for the inconvenience this is causing."

More details have emerged about what has gone wrong at the Stafford Road pool, the final piece in a £6 million refurbishment jigsaw to transform leisure facilities.

The problem came to light only at the 11th hour when workmen heated the filled pool. The expansion caused by the rise in temperature put stress on the joints, resulting in cracks.

Finding an answer is proving a slow process because of the time it takes to drain, re-fill and heat the pool to try out solutions. It had been hoped to fix the problem by September but a question mark now hangs over that estimate.

Chase Swimming Club has been left looking for an alternative venue for Wednesday evening sessions. Head coach Paul Grainger said: "We were expecting to move back into Cannock but with this further delay we've got to search for somewhere else." But he said the 150-strong club were expecting the new pool to be "well worth waiting for".