NEW Malden's publicly-owned swimming pool at the Malden Centre will temporarily close for two and a half weeks this month.

This is so that essential maintenance work can be carried out on the centre's ceiling tiling, Kingston Council have said.

The pool will be closed from Monday 28 February for a period of up to two and a half weeks.

The rest of the facility will remain open as normal.

Kingston residents wanting to swim in a publicly owned pool - avoiding expensive gym membership costs - will have to leave the borough while the pool is closed.

The only alternative public pool in Kingston upon Thames is the Kingfisher leisure centre which has been closed since 2019 due to problems with the roof.

Plans have been put forward to bulldoze the Kingfisher complex and build a £40m modern centre with more facilities in its place.

The new centre is estimated to cost £40m and has proved divisive with residents and Kingston councillors.

Kingston Council has released a list of alternative publicly-owned pools where Kingston residents can use their membership cards to go swimming while the Malden centre pool is closed.

These are:

- Putney Leisure Centre

- Dorking Sports Centre

- Hurst Pool

Kingston Council said: "These repairs are planned and routine.

"Due to the age of the much-loved Malden Centre, maintenance such as this is occasionally required to ensure that the swimming pool is fit for purpose to be enjoyed by our residents for years to come."