An Olympic swimming champion has pleaded for a new owner to come forward to take over a town’s sports centre which has been put up for sale.

Adam Peaty, who won gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics in the men's 100m breaststroke, sent a video message of support to Folkestone Swimming Club.

The group has been left without a home after Folkestone Sports Centre shut at the end of July, causing 144 job losses as the charity which ran it - the Folkestone Sports Centre Trust - said it could no longer afford to run the facility.

The Olympian, who is widely considered to be the greatest men's breaststroke swimmer in history, says in the clip that he was saddened to hear about the sports centre suddenly closing and is joining the fight to see it reopened.

“I was saddened to hear [of] the closure of the Folkestone Sports Centre and the loss of the swimming pool to the hundreds of swimmers throughout the area,” he said.

“As the Olympics this summer demonstrated, swimming is a sport that can inspire millions.

“If it wasn't for the local swimming pools across the country, none of us in Team GB would have been able to fulfil our dream. It is the opportunities at the beginning that produces the results at the end.

“Swimming is a sport that provides for your mental and physical wellbeing, as well as being a vital skill in keeping people of all ages safe in the water.

“It is a sport that is enjoyed by every generation and to see a pool close in a coastal town is especially saddening.

“I hope that you can join me in supporting the fight to reopen Folkestone Sports Centre and ensuring that future generations gain the opportunities they deserve.”

Chairman of Folkestone Swimming Club Ian Howes says it was brilliant to receive the message this morning, but it is difficult still being without a home.

“The motivation to train has always been there. The biggest problem is actually having to trawl around it.

“We're calling ourselves Folkestone on tour at the moment because we are going from pool to pool.”

Administrators Opus Restructuring LLP, appointed last month, previously said building homes on the site cannot be ruled out.

Now specialist leisure property adviser Christie & Co has been instructed to put the sports centre in Radnor Park Avenue on the market.

It is not clear how much it will be sold for but the agent says it is asking for offers.