Pool is flooded by 1.5 million litres of water at new £20m leisure centre

The pool hall at Five Towns Leisure and Wellbeing Hub at Pontefract Park, which was due to open in the autumn of next year, was flooded with 1.5 million litres of drain water after an accident on October 25, Wakefield Council said.

The amount of water concerned would fill more than half an Olympic swimming pool.

The incident happened as Yorkshire Water were operating on pipes underneath the leisure facility’s new 3G pitch. The company has been contacted for comment.

Writing in a report going before councillors on Wednesday, cabinet member for leisure, Coun Jacquie Speight said: “Whilst things continue at pace on the site of the new leisure and wellbeing hub in Pontefract Park, we have had to deal with an incident whilst Yorkshire Water were on site diverting water mains sitting under the site of the new 3G pitch.

“Due to an unexpected release of water, the entire pool hall was flooded with over 1.5 million litres of water.

“This was completely beyond our control but is significant and is something we are working to overcome.

“At the moment we are still waiting to find out what this means to the overall programme but rest assured we will be pulling out all the stops to make this as minimal as possible.”

Planning permission for the new leisure hub was granted in 2019. It is expected to draw customers from across the district.

The council later said a burst water pipe was to blame for the incident while a sub-contractor of Yorkshire Water was on site.

An insurance claim will now be made, in the hope taxpayers will not have to foot the bill for the clean-up.

Yorkshire Water did not respond to a request for comment.