Plans have been formally submitted to demolish the Daisyfield Pools complex following its controversial closure last year.

The swimming baths were closed last August after the discovery of legionella bacteria at the site.

In April, the Lancashire Telegraph reported that Blackburn with Darwen Council was pressing ahead with plans to demolish the complex, despite swimmers and supporters pleading for it to be saved.

Now, formal documents have been uploaded which confirm the plans to go ahead with the demolition.

It is anticipated the work will take around 12 weeks, starting in January and finishing in April.

If approved, site hours will be restricted to 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

No HGVs would be allowed to park outside or queue on the approaching roads.

The application follows a consultation on the decision to close the pool and swimming provision in the area.

A finance council meeting in February approved the demolition of Daisyfield and the redundant Shadsworth Leisure Centre, allocating a budget of £1.5 million to cover costs for both.

A statement on the council’s planning website says the demolition will comprise of “pulling down of main building, grubbing-up of foundations and disused services, and filling of voids with compacted crushed fill.”

All debris and spoil from the demolished building will be removed other than crushed masonry/concrete, which will be used for a temporary surface where the pool will be infilled.

The closure last year followed the discovery of harmful Legionella bacteria in the pool's systems and an inspection by council officers which 'highlighted numerous issues with the condition of the building and the operation of the centre'.

The closure was opposed by Conservative group leader Cllr John Slater who said at the time: "It is absolutely disgraceful how we got to this situation.

"We own the building. If there was a political will to help these people we could have done it."

However, the council’s health and leisure boss Damian Talbot thought it had been accepted the decision to close the pool was “the right one.”

He said the council could not afford the £71,000 needed to refurbish the pool plant and £3.1 million more required for wider building repairs to keep the pools operational in the short term.

Shelley Whitehead from HalfFISH, which operated the building from 2016 and provided swimming lessons, said there was a will to retain the pools, adding, “the work can be done and the pool kept open.”

Council leader Phil Riley said it would have been "utterly irresponsible" to keep the pool open, adding it would be a "case of corporate manslaughter if someone had died".

To comment on the plans, visit the planning section of Blackburn with Darwen Council's website.