A leisure centre is set to stay shut after bad weather caused significant damage to its roof.

Tenterden Leisure Centre will remain out of use while emergency repairs are carried out on the roof, which was in the middle of being replaced.

The building was struck during heavy rain and winds on Saturday, which saw a large section of the roof come down overnight.

The centre and its two car parks were immediately shut, with swimming lessons cancelled until further notice.

It had been thought that the building (except the pool hall) may reopen today, but an announcement by the leisure centre confirmed that it would remain shut "today, and possibly other days this week."

A spokesman said: "Over the weekend, high winds caused damage to the roof, and we took the discussion to close the centre, and car park on Sunday, in the interest of safety.

"Contractors have removed some lose panels, and we currently have teams assessing not only the damage to the roof, but also possible wind warnings and the future safety of the roof.

"We are trying to contact any customers with children on swimming lessons as quickly as we can.

"Until such time as there is an announcement of re-opening, we kindly request customers do not phone, or visit the centre. We will provide updates as soon as we can.

"Again, safety is paramount, and we must ensure everything is safe before anyone returns".

While the building and rear car park remain closed, the car park to the front of the centre has been reopened.

Work began in September to replace remove the centre's roof covering completely and replace it with a more thermally efficient roof, which will also require less maintenance.

The project was scheduled to last 20 weeks, which would have meant completion will be mid-January 2022. It is not known if the recent damage will postpone that deadline.

Read more: All the latest news from Tenterden