DELAYS to essential repair work at a community swimming pool mean it may not reopen until the middle of next year.

The facilities at Consett Leisure Centre have been closed since the introduction of the first lockdown period earlier in the year, but now there are concerns it could remain shut over winter and spring.

Durham County Council has said the site did not reopen in August after ‘a number of defects’ were discovered.

The authority has said the equipment needed to get the work done was not available.

Councillor Owen Temple, who represents the area on Durham County Council, said: “The pool has been closed since March this year and looks likely to be closed long after March 2021.

“Already the project to repair the pool is way behind target.

“The plan was for a specialist report to be completed by the end of September and procurement of the repairs to start in October.

“That hasn’t happened.”

Cllr Temple said a report has been partially completed, but the results of tests carried out on some of the construction products are not expected until December.

He said the procurement process will then start to be considered, meaning the original hopes that the pool might re-open in the spring look unrealistic.

Cllr Temple said: “Local people feel they are being kept in the dark, with statements from the council that information cannot be released for legal reasons, and real difficulty in piecing together even the little bit of news they have been able to find out.

“It’s a nightmare. It took me over three weeks to get a response on the simple question of whether or not the specialist report had been completed, and in the meantime I am fielding enquiries from residents who are missing their regular exercise, or in the case of one mum, seriously concerned about the effects on the mental health of her daughter of being prevented from pursuing her ambition to become a top-flight swimmer.

“The county council needs to give a much higher priority to resolving this problem. It’s no good exhorting people to ‘stay safe - stay active’ through Covid if the council itself leaves Consett’s pool to drift through it.”

Amy Harhoff, corporate director for regeneration, economy and growth at Durham County Council, said: “We understand the important contribution swimming facilities make to the health and wellbeing of our residents and are committed to reopening the pool at Consett Leisure Centre as soon as it is safe to do so.

“Unfortunately, the pool was unable to reopen at the same time as our other sites in August due to the discovery of a number of defects.

“To ensure these defects could be properly assessed and to prevent further closures in the future, we commissioned a specialist to carry out a technical report.

“However, owing to circumstances beyond our control, the equipment to undertake this work was not available, which has delayed the assessment of the issues.

"We will however provide an update as soon as we are able to do so.”