£800,000 works to repair a leisure centre's roof which was ripped off in strong winds have been completed.

The Swallows, in Sittingbourne, was forced to close for more than a week after being battered by Storm Ciara on February 9 last year.

The heavy winds left metal debris flying off at the site in Central Avenue, which reopened on February 18.

While some sections, including the soft play, indoor climbing area and the weights gym, were able to open, the swimming pool, sports hall and one of its studios remained closed.

In July Swale council's cabinet approved £800,000 to repair the leisure centre, which has finally been finished.

Cllr Angela Harrison, cabinet member for health and well being at the local authority, said: “I’m glad to see the works have finished, so the centre can now plan for reopening as lockdown restrictions are relaxed in coming weeks and months.

“The last year has been a tremendous challenge for the centre, with the damaged roof, national lockdowns, and adapting how they operate to make sure people could exercise safely.

“We know how important Swallows is for local people’s health and wellbeing, which is why we’ve invested a significant amount of money on the repairs.

“We’ve invested now as we don’t want to cut corners and just patch over issues as they crop up. It needed to be done properly so we can prevent more unnecessary closures which don’t just have a direct financial impact, but also have a significant effect on the health and wellbeing of local people.”

Dave Harcourt, chief executive of Swale Community Leisure, who runs the centre, added: “It’s fantastic news that after a lengthy construction period, overcoming the constraints of Covid-19 and the inevitable winter weather, that the Swallows Leisure Centre roof project is finally complete.

“This is great news for our customers, and also for our staff, who are looking forward to the pool and sports hall being operable again.

“It is thanks to the investment and ongoing support from Swale Borough Council in bringing this about, that when we re-open following the Governments ‘Road-map to Recovery’, we anticipate the return of so many wonderful people to the centre.”

The council confirmed plans are being prepared to reopen the whole centre in line with government guidance, but no official announcement has been made.

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