URGENT safety checks have been carried out at all Medway's swimming pools after two massive steel vents collapsed in Rainham's leisure pool last month.

It has now emerged that the scale of damage was much greater than had previously been believed. The trunks were each about 20ft long and four feet wide.

One of them fell into the stairwell which gives bathers access to the flume ride, one of the biggest attractions at Splashes. Five children and two adults were taken to hospital suffering from minor injuries and shock.

Health and safety experts have gone in to the building, but staff are being kept out because of the danger of further falls.

In a report today, the Medway Today newspaper says it understands that initial inspections have shown that the steel was so badly corroded it had taken on a lace-like quality.

A council report written several days after the collapse occurred says: "There are other parts of the building structure that also are corroded around weld joints."

The author says: "It was lucky for the council that no one was killed or maimed by the sheer size and weight of these pieces."

The pool was built by Gillingham Borough Council. When it was handed over to Medway Council in April, 1998, the old council ring-fenced £350,000 for its repairs. There have been major questions recently about the maintenance of council-owned buildings in Medway, including The Brook and the Central Theatre in Chatham.

What happened to the Gillingham cash is expected to come in for serious questioning. Members of the regeneration and community scrutiny committee are meeting to discuss the issue tonight.

They are also expected to look into the use of chlorine in the pool's scrubbing unit a year ago. It is one of the areas being considered as the cause for corroding the steel rods that held the ducting above the heads of swimmers.