A SWIMMING pool will not reopen on Monday as planned due to extensive repair work following a flood.

The Prince Regent Swimming Complex in Brighton suffered a major flood over the Easter weekend, causing "severe" damage to the majority of the building's electrical system.

Brighton and Hove City Council said despite Freedom Leisure’s best efforts in giving the repair work the highest priority, the pool is not safe to reopen yet.

Councillor Martin Osborne, joint chairman of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committees, said: “We appreciate that people want to get back to swimming at the Prince Regent as soon as possible, but the safety of residents must be our top priority.

“We want to make sure the repairs are carried out thoroughly and everything tested before we re-open.

“The damage turned out to be severe but thanks to the efforts of the electricians, we have now got power back on in the building and are working to connect up the systems and test the circuit boards.”

It is expected the complex will reopen by the end of June.

Alternative swimming facilities are available at the King Alfred Leisure Centre and St Luke’s swimming pool.

The council said that while the Prince Regent has been out of action, Freedom Leisure, which operates the leisure centres, has relocated as many swimming lessons and clubs as is possible to these pools.