A SPORTS hall dubbed the best in East Lancashire has been saved from closure by councillors who gave the go-ahead for badly-needed repairs.

Hyndburn leisure board were told that the sports hall floor at Hyndburn Sports Centre is so badly worn that it would have to close for safety reasons if it was allowed to get any worse.

A report to the board said the heating system at the centre in Henry Street, Church, had been in need of replacement for some time. The board approved a £287,000 repair programme.

Cash will be transferred from the council's vehicle-buying account to help pay for the work.

Council deputy operations director Steve Tanti said the former leisure services committee had been told three years ago that the heating system and the sports hall floor had reached the end of their useful life.

The officers' report said the ground below the sports hall floor had moved since the centre was built in 1972. The floor tiles had been sanded down many times and were now so thin that they required filling in places.

Mr Tanti said: "Hyndburn Sports Centre is the best sports hall in East Lancashire. With the sports hall floor, it is really a case of keeping an existing facility open."

He said the proposed new heating system would pay for itself within five years because it was far more efficient than the old boilers.

Coun Derek Scholes welcomed the decision and said the council would lose money if part of the centre were to close.

Board chairman Coun Brian Walmsley said there was no choice but to approve the work and said he hope it could be completed before winter.

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