A DECISION has been made to rip up and replace floor tiles that are not up to standard at the new Westminster Lodge swimming pool.

Tiles in the poolside, wet change and spa areas will be removed after St Albans district council has decided they are not providing the required slip resistance.

It follows reports that surfaced at the end of last year about children sustaining injuries after falling on the ‘slippery’ floors.

Since the facility opened in November various works have been done to increase the slip resistance of the tiles and they currently meet health and safety guidelines.

But the council and Willmott Dixon, the construction contractor which will be meeting the cost of replacing the tiles along with its tile supplier, said this was not a long-term solution.

The work will be phased over an extended period of time, starting on April 15 and finishing in July, to minimise the disruption to its users.

While the council hopes to keep the main pool open throughout, closures to the training pool and confidence water area are anticipated for up to three weeks.

They are also making arrangements to accommodate the needs of clubs, schools, members and other Westminster Lodge users.

Cllr Mike Wakely, portfolio holder for sports, leisure and heritage, said: “Inspections reveal that the performance of the floor tiles at the new leisure centre is not what we want. The tiles do not meet the high standard specified by the council or expected by Willmott Dixon or Everyone Active, the centre operator.

“Although work is being scheduled to minimise disruption inevitably there will be some inconvenience for centre users, for which we are very sorry. Thankfully we have found a way to ensure that swimming facilities will be available throughout the works.

“I want to thank our leisure centre operator, Everyone Active, for their help and expertise in helping us to plan for this work to be done.”