THE Abbey Stadium’s swimming pools in Redditch have had to be closed and drained for a total deep clean after broken glass got in the main pool.

There were no swimmers present and no one was injured as glass in a poolside door broke and entered the water of the stadium’s main pool. The incident is being fully investigated.

Pool workers must now drain over 600,000 litres of water from both the main and learner pools, before cleaning the pools and their systems - and then refilling them and reheating the water to the right temperature. It’s not currently clear how long the process will take, but it could be several days.

Redditch Borough Council’s deputy chief executive Sue Hanley said: “This is a very unfortunate freak incident, and we’re really sorry to anyone that had plans to come and use these pools over the next few days.

"The safety of all our swimmers is obviously paramount and the specialist advice we’ve received is that in order to be completely safe there is nothing for it but to drain the pools and start again. In the meantime, our other swimming pool at Kingsley Sports Centre remains open.”

Private groups and hirers of the pool that may be affected by the closure are being contacted by the borough council to see if alternative arrangements may be made for them at Kingsley Sports Centre.

All other Abbey Stadium services remain open as normal.