THE reopening of gym facilities at Dudley Leisure Centre has been delayed while further COVID-19 safety work is carried out.

Dudley, Halesowen and Crystal leisure centres are set to open from next week as part of an easing of lockdown measures, but council chiefs have confirmed the date for the gym reopening at the Wellington Road site has been pushed back.

Gyms, fitness classes and badminton will be on offer as planned at Halesowen and Crystal leisure centres from Monday August 3, with the pools to re-open on Thursday August 6.

People in Dudley will now have to wait slightly longer, with the centre reopening its pools, classes and badminton court on Thursday August 6.

Council chiefs say additional measures are being put in place before the gym at Dudley will re-open and the decision follows site investigations and a review of the stringent new measures required for Covid-safe certification.

Councillor Ian Kettle, cabinet member responsible for leisure centres, said: "We’re really looking forward to re-opening our leisure centres next week. We’ve taken the decision to slightly delay the re-opening of some of the facilities at Dudley leisure centre until we are completely happy that we have met and exceeded the government’s safety requirements to be Covid-safe.

"Visitors will still be able to enjoy a range of facilities, but the gym will not be opening next week. We know it may be disappointing to people who were looking forward to working out at Dudley next week, but we hope people will understand that public safety is paramount and that will always come first."

Councillor Nicolas Barlow, cabinet member for health and adult social care, added: "It’s great news that all three of our centres will be open by the end of next week. Leisure centre memberships are valid across all of our sites, so while Dudley’s gym is temporarily closed members are free to use the gyms at Stourbridge and Halesowen.

"People can also enjoy exercising in our green spaces. Most of our parks and play areas are now open for business and I’d encourage people to make the most of the outdoors over the summer while we focus on getting our indoor facilities safe and welcoming."

Visitors to the centres next week can expect the leisure pool at the Crystal to be closed while lane swimming will be put into operation at the 25m pool at Crystal, and at Dudley and Halesowen pools to manage capacity.

Customers will need to pre-book sessions and pay online in advance, with cleaning taking place in between each session.