A manager has announced that a leisure centre will close its doors this summer, despite efforts to keep it open to the community.

The future of the Pent Valley Leisure Centre at Tile Kiln Lane in Folkestone had been in doubt following the decision by Kent County Council to close the neighbouring secondary school due to falling pupil numbers.

The school is set to reopen as a free school in September 2018, with the leisure centre needing to find a provider to run it in the interim period.

But this weekend the centre’s manager Scott Bechelli announced on Facebook that no provider has been found and that the centre will cease trading at the end of June.

It leaves community groups such as the Folkestone Gymnastics Club and the Folkestone Karate and Martial Arts Club needing to find new venues, but both will continue to run classes and sessions at the leisure centre until it closes.

In his statement, Mr Bechelli said he was “profoundly disappointed” that the centre will have to close after 12 years.

He wrote: “It is with much regret that I must inform you that I have received confirmation from Kent County Council that Pent Valley Leisure Centre will cease trading on the Friday, June 30.

“As you are no doubt aware, there has been uncertainty regarding the future of the centre since it was announced in December 2015 that the closure of Pent Valley Technology College was being considered.

“Since this announcement the staff of centre, the governing body of Pent Valley, and Kent County Council have all been working towards the goal of ensuring the we remain open to the community, but unfortunately to no avail.

“With the school closing to all students at the end of this academic year we have now run out of time to find a solution and we must close.

“This is obviously not the outcome that any of us were hoping for, but closure is now unavoidable.”

Mr Bechelli said a new free school is still expected to open on site in 2018, and says the leisure centre could reopen then, but that it will be “out of our control”.