An old sports centre finally shuts this weekend after four decades.

Dover Leisure Centre in Townwall Street will close its doors for the last time at 5pm this Sunday.

But it will be replaced by the new Dover District Leisure Centre in Whitfield eight days later.

The building, originally called Dover Sports Centre, was opened in 1976 by the then chairman of Dover District Council, Peter Bean.

It includes a sports hall, swimming pool, health and fitness suite, gym, studio, and squash courts and a 75-space car park.

But already this decade the centre was showing signs of decay and a 500-name petition for action was drawn up in 2015 by Dover resident Pete Ward.

He claimed the facilities at the old centre were “disgusting and rotten” with damp and mildew in the changing rooms.

The council decided that a new centre would provide a better long-term solution for the needs of Dover district and would be more cost effective than having the old building refurbished

The new Dover District Leisure Centre, at Honeywood Parkway, Whitfield, opens at exactly 9am on Monday, February 25.

The eight-day gap between the old and new centres is to give time for complete transfer and staff training at the new site.

The £26 million facility features the first swimming pool in Kent to be purpose-built to Sport England specifications for a county standard competition swimming pool.

The 25m by 17m eight-lane pool includes starting blocks, timing pads, and an electronic scoreboard. It will have spectator seating for 250 people.

The 15m x 8.5m learner pool has a moveable floor to vary the depth.

Dry-side, the centre includes a four court sports hall, clip ‘n climb interactive climbing arena, a 120-station fitness suite and two multi-activity studios.

There will also be a spin studio, two glass-backed squash courts with spectator seating, two outdoor five-a-side football 3G pitches, a sauna and steam room, a café, and 250 parking spaces.