A leisure centre has reopened today following a multi-million pound makeover.

The Stour Centre in Ashford was fully closed in July after refurbishment work was approved despite opposition from councillors and staff.

Ashford Borough Council has injected £7.5 million into the project, which has seen the addition of a range of features.

Climbing walls are debuting at the centre today with seven available via an online booking system that allows for 90-minute sessions.

A large soft play area - eagerly awaited by parents - has also been installed, featuring multiple levels and slides.

The Stour Centre's gym has been expanded while changing rooms have been revamped.

Despite the pool now boasting new features, they remain closed to the public as the council recently identified new work that needed to be completed.

A Biocircuit room has also been added today, which is one of only six in the whole United Kingdom and offer computer-guided circuit training sessions for users.

The centre's reception has been given a modern overhaul and adjacent to that is a new Costa Coffee.

Visitors will also benefit from an entrance canopy - the first time the main doors have had a covering.

People who were members before the overhaul will need to re-join, as the centre's computer systems have also been upgraded over the last year.

Speaking before today's reopening, managing director of Stour Centre operator Freedom Leisure, Ivan Horsfall-Turner, said: “We are delighted and excited to be opening the new Stour Centre in Ashford on behalf of Ashford Borough Council.

"A significant amount of investment has gone in to make The Stour Centre one of the best leisure centres in the South-East and we look forward to welcoming people from far and wide to this flag-ship facility.”

This refurbishment comes after the centre underwent £17m of upgrades in the mid-2000s.

This was one of the reasons, along with the loss of 115 jobs, why the announcement of a full closure sparked a wave of opposition.

However bosses defended the move, saying a partial closure would still lead to widespread disruption, and that work would continue for an extra 9 months.

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