SWIMMERS are set to face major disruption as a busy pool is forced to close its facilities for up to three months.

The Prince Regent Swimming Complex in Brighton will close its teaching pool and then its main pool over the summer and autumn to allow for maintenance.

Swimming clubs using the facility describe the closure as “annoying” and a reflection of the shortage of high-quality facilities in the city with the ageing King Alfred Leisure Centre pool due for demolition.

The Prince Regent, operated by Freedom Leisure on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council, is set for a two-stage pool closure starting from next week in a bid to minimise disruption.

The teaching pool will close from Monday until August 11 before work is then scheduled for the main pool areas from August 14 until October 13.

The temporary closure will allow much needed and essential work to replace high level glazing above the pool halls with double glazing and cladding.

The plans, granted planning consent on June 20, will see the replacement of existing glass panels, deemed to be “past their useful life” with modern glazing with inbuilt solar power capacity and “self-cleaning” properties.

The ageing complex has recently undergone a £730,000 makeover of its ailing heating and air conditioning unit. The rest of the centre, including its gym, will remain open throughout the works.

Swimmers are encouraged to use the King Alfred and St Luke’s swimming pools during the closure with Prince Regent memberships accepted during the disruption.

Jasper Stevens, chairman of Brighton Swimming Club which holds a weekly club night at the Prince Regent, said: “It will disrupt us pretty badly. We will have to find other pools. We are looking at school pools and the King Alfred.

“It is something we will have to live with. It is something we had been expecting. we have a very close relationship with the pool management, so they did warn us that it would happen but we weren’t sure exactly when it would be and unfortunately it is a little short notice.

“It is annoying. That is why we have been putting our weight behind the Sea Lanes project by the Peter Pan playground.

“We hope that will come to fruition though that is not likely to be up and running until later next year. “

Chris Lovelock, from Freedom Leisure, said: “We apologise for the disruption that this closure to the pools will inevitably cause our customers but we are determined to keeping it as short as possible. These essential health and safety works to replace the roof glazing, which is now over 30 years old, are unfortunately unavoidable.”