A MAJOR fire at a Pendle leisure centre has prompted a number of contingency measures to be adopted for school swims and health-suite customers.

Bosses at Pendle Leisure Trust are so far unable to say when Wavelengths and Inside Spa in Nelson will reopen.

Specialist cleaners will need to be drafted in to clear the smokelogged ventilation system after a blaze broke out at the centre, off Leeds Road, on August 19, so the final bill for repairs is not yet known. Swimmers and spa users had to evacuated to the nearby Ace Centre after the fire started in a sauna. No-one was injured and it did not spread to the gym or fitness studio.

Swimming lessons have been transferred to Pendle Leisure Centre in Colne, which is also available for regular pool sessions, and the exercise classes have been switched to the Ace Centre, which is also housing a temporary nail bar and treatment room.

Phil Storey, the leisure trust’s chief executive, said: “We want to get everything back to normal as soon as possible. Things are still in the hands of the experts who need to complete their investigations.

“Once this has been done, specialist cleaners will then need to get into the building to clean the air ventilation system, which will be a difficult job and time consuming. But it will have to be done before we can even contemplate opening the facilities.

“We are looking at ways to enable us to reopen the centre in stages, working on — and opening — one area at a time before moving on to the next. At the moment we are still talking to specialists.

“We appreciate the majority of our customers are being understanding and realise they want to get back to their gym and pool as soon as they can. We will do everything we can to make this happen as soon as possible.”

Swimming and gym facilities are also available at West Craven Leisure Centre in Barnoldswick. And Seedhill Athletic Track, on the outskirts of Nelson, is also still open for runners.