Slides are shut

It is likely that the slides, which caused a storm of controversy when they were built, will not open again.

The three slides, including one called The Black Hole, were installed at the centre during the Eighties.

They were put up by a private firm but are now run by Brighton and Hove Council.

A council spokeswoman said: "We have closed the slides at the King Alfred as a precaution because of concerns about their safety.

"Because they are on the outside of the building, they do take a pounding from the weather and we are investigating how much it will cost to repair them.

"Proposals for the slides will be put before councillors in due course."

The slides are likely to be closed until at least next summer. A decision will be made then about whether it is cost-effective to reopen them.

When the slides were given planning permission by the old Hove council, residents complained that they were ugly.

They had to be adjusted during the early weeks after a spate of minor injuries to people using them.

People go down the three slides head-first on mats before landing in a plunge pool at the bottom.

One factor governing the future of the slides will be whether the proposed redevelopment of the King Alfred goes ahead.

Although the swimming pools will remain open and will be renovated, the slides are not included in the £25 million project.