THE reopening of a leisure centre has been postponed following the discovery of collapsed drainage pipes beneath the swimming pool.

Mill House leisure centre in Hartlepool was due to reopen tomorrow.

The issue came to light during a site inspection as the final preparations were being made.

Hartlepool Borough Council is now in the process of appointing a specialist contractor to carry out repairs and the centre will remain closed until further notice.

Ian Gardiner, head of leisure, recreation and participation, said: “We are bitterly disappointed that we have had to postpone Wednesday’s much-anticipated re-opening after putting in so much work to get the building ready and ensure it was safe for customers and staff.

“We would like to apologise to our customers for the inconvenience this will cause them. However, the safety of staff and customers is our top priority and given the nature and scale of this issue we do not feel that we are able to re-open the centre until the repairs are completed.”

It is the second blow to hit the council’s plans for a phased re-opening of leisure facilities across the town, after last week's reopening of Brierton sports centre was delayed after a staff member tested positive for Covid-19.

It is due to reopen tomorrow, while the Headlands sports centre is scheduled to open next week.