Chase Leisure Centre swimming pool update

The pool is the final piece of a £6 million refurbishment of the Cannock leisure centre which has been completed over the last 12 months to deliver a high-quality leisure facility for local people. A new Profiles Health and Fitness Centre opened in February and in August more brand new facilities were revealed, including an air-conditioned fitness and dance studio, modernised changing rooms, showers and toilets for the ground-floor sports hall, a community function room, three new treatment rooms and a new café.

It was planned to open the swimming pool to the public on 8th August. However, problems occurred after the pool was filled and heated that resulted in a number of cracked tiles that affected the waterproofing of the pool. The pool has had to be drained and an extensive survey carried out to determine the cause of the cracked tiles. These problems have required the contractor, GF Tomlinson Ltd, to bring in additional specialist advice to assess the problems and identify a solution.

Works to implement this solution are underway but it will not be known whether this solution fixes the problem until the pool is filled, heated and tested again. The position is being monitored closely by GF Tomlinson Ltd and their sub-contractors and any update on when the pool may be available will be communicated as soon as possible.

Cllr Christine Mitchell, Cannock Chase Council Culture and Sport Leader, 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 that this unfortunate situation is causing. The £6 million refurbishment has transformed what was a tired, ageing building into a fantastic 21st-century facility. The swimming pool is the final piece in the jigsaw and our contractor is working hard to deliver this for us."