A BASILDON swimming pool will shut to the public for four months as it undergoes £1 million worth of repairs.

Basildon Sporting Village has announced that long-rumoured plans to replace the “inoperable” moveable floor in the main swimming pool will finally take place four years after they initially broke.

Everyone Active, which runs the sporting village, confirmed the works will begin next April but will take a full 16 weeks to be completed.

As a result, the main swimming pool will be closed throughout but the teaching pool will remain open.

The pool, which hosted the Japanese swimming teams for their training prior to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has the largest moveable floor in the country.

But it has been stuck at the depth of 1.14 metres for the past three years due to faults, and attempts to fix it have failed.

Shaun Beagle, area contract manager at Everyone Active, said: “The £1 million project to replace the moveable pool floor at Basildon Sporting Village will begin in April 2025.

“This significant investment, fully funded by Everyone Active, is expected to take around 16 weeks to complete.

“While the main pool is temporarily closed for the works, we will be directing users to our other facilities at Wickford Swim and Fitness Centre, Eversley Leisure Centre and The Brentwood Centre. The teaching pool at Basildon Sporting Village will remain available for use.

“We understand that this project has been eagerly anticipated, and we appreciate our users’ understanding during this time. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to an enhanced facility later in 2025.”

Basildon Sporting Village, which opened in May 2011, has a 50-metre competition pool that forms a major part of the facility’s offering.

Maryam Yaqub, councillor responsible for St Martin’s ward, said: “It is encouraging to see progress being made towards restoring Basildon Sporting Village’s swimming pool into a movable pool. Once the works are completed, having the pool back to its full operational capacity will be a tremendous asset for our community.

“The benefits to our residents, especially our young swimmers and sports enthusiasts, will be immense.

“Closing the pool for four months will certainly have its challenges but we will make sure residents can still access swimming sessions.”