FACILITIES at River Park Leisure Centre in Winchester will be closed for essential maintenance work during part of the festive season.

A variety of works taking place, this include floor resealing which means the sports hall will be shut between December 19 and 26 and there will also be no classes at the centre from December 20 to January 1.

Studio 1 will be getting its floor sanded along with new equipment and virtual lighting, the shower areas will have the silicon replaced, and the pool will have also have maintenance carried out. The Ocean Adventure facility will have a high-level clean and all of the sports equipment at the centre will have a service.

The cost of the work will be paid for by Places for People Leisure which operates the centre.

Stuart Urquhart, general manager at River Park, said: “Over Christmas we will be undergoing a large amount of maintenance to improve the facilities within the building, unfortunately these works cannot be carried out while open to the public.

“I would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and normal operating hours will resume from Tuesday, January 2.”

In the long term the centre is set to be replaced by a new £38m centre at Bar End on the southern edge of the city.