Changing rooms at Manningtree Sports Centre have been closed for immediate work to be carried out on a water tank at the site.

Tendring District Council (TDC) - which runs the centre jointly with Manningtree High School - took the decision after low levels of legionella bacteria were discovered during routine checks.

These are the same checks which are carried out at all TDC's facilities across the District.

A reading of 400 colony forming units (cfu) per litre of the bacteria was found in a water sample taken from one of the two water tanks at the facility.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance recommends that where one or two samples contain levels between 100 to 1,000 cfu per litre resampling should be carried out. If a similar count is detected a review of control measures should then be carried out.

However, as a precautionary measure the Council decided that it would close the changing rooms served by the water tank.

It is also bringing forward chlorination of the hot and cold water systems, flushing through and retesting.

Stephen Mayzes, TDC's Cabinet Member for Leisure, said that the Council had a duty of care to its customers and staff.

"While we did not have to go as far as we have under the HSE guidelines, and the level of the bacteria is relatively low, a decision was rightly made to take immediate action," he said.

"Only one of the water tanks is affected and therefore the changing rooms served by that tank have been closed for about one to two weeks while the work is undertaken. The health and wellbeing of all our customers must always come first.

"Because there is another tank, which is unaffected, customers will be able to access other changing rooms and showers and the centre will remain open."

The discovery of the bacteria was made as part of the facility's overall planned preventative maintenance programme which includes a scheme to maintain the hot and cold water systems.

Lynda McWilliams, TDC's Cabinet Member for the Environment, said that she was pleased that the inspection system put in place by the Council some time ago had paid dividends.

"It has detected these issues early and these matters have been addressed immediately," she said.

"Without these procedures in place this discovery would not have been made when it was, and we would not have known that it needed to be dealt with at this time. By making these checks on a regular basis we have picked it up quickly."

The decision to close the changing rooms was made in consultation with Manningtree High School.

1/7/09

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