A team of synchronised swimmers were left high and dry when their training pool closed two weeks before they were due to compete in the world championships.

The Brighton Dolphins are flying out to the World Masters Swimming Championships in San Francisco on August 8.

But their hopes of returning with a hatful of medals have been dashed after Brighton and Hove City Council announced plans to drain their training pool at the Prince Regent leisure centre on Monday for maintenance work due to last a week.

Linda Doidge, 50, one of four Dolphins swimmers aged between 20 and 50 competing at the event, said: "We are absolutely devastated.

"We train in the diving pool at the Prince Regent because the sport's rules state the pool has to be at least two metres deep.

"The main pools at the Prince regent and King Alfred centres are too shallow for us to carry out our routines.

"It is such terribly bad timing. It could not be worse. These next two weeks are vital to our preparations but we will have no pool to train in and we are panicking.

"It looks like we will miss six hours of training which is so vital to us at this crucial stage.

"We're going to ask the council to delay doing this but we don't hold out much hope."

Mrs Doidge, who is competing in San Francisco alongside team-mates Anne Berrett, Margaret Hamereton and Gaye Greely, is now looking for another pool.

She said: "We're desperate and are asking through The Argus is anyone has a pool they could lend us for six hours over the next fortnight.

"We would be so grateful and if anyone comes forward they will be helping us fulfil our dream."

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said the works had been planned for some time and were timed to be completed before the school summer holidays start.