A storm-damaged leisure centre remains closed despite hopes it would reopen this week.

The facility in Tenterden was expected to welcome members back yesterday, more than three weeks after its roof was damaged in bad weather.

While the centre had partly reopened following the damage on October 3, the swimming pool had remained shut before the entire building was once again shut on October 19 after more bad weather caused more damage to the already weakened roof, which is in the middle of being replaced.

A further assessment of the situation, with a view to identifying a new opening date, is expected to take place on Friday.

A spokesman for the centre said: "It is with a heavy heart that we've made the difficult decision to not reopen the Tenterden Leisure Centre as previously communicated.

"As you may or may not be aware, the centre is currently undergoing an extensive roof replacement project, the progress of these repairs has been made even more challenging as a result of the recent bad weather.

"Due to these issues, we have taken the tough decision to remain closed until we can ensure the safety of our members and our staff. This sadly includes the cancelling our half term activities this week."

"We have taken the tough decision to remain closed..."

Work began in September to remove the centre's roof covering completely and replace it with a more thermally efficient roof, which will also require less maintenance.

The project was scheduled to last 20 weeks, which would have meant completion will be mid-January 2022. It is not known if the recent damage will postpone that deadline.

Read more: All the latest news from Tenterden