Legionella alert at sport centre (From Oxford Mail)

Legionella alert at sport centre

8:38pm Friday 30th March 2007 in News

Traces of a bacteria which can lead to a potentially fatal disease have forced the closure of a sports centre.

The Kidlington and Gosford Sports Centre closed at 4pm after samples taken from the hot water taps showed traces of the Legionella bacteria - which can lead to Legionnaires' disease.

Cherwell District Council has said the level of risk to members of the public is low but chose to close the sports centre, on Oxford Road, Kidlington, as a precaution.

Norman Bolster, the council's Portfolio Holder for Recreation said: "The advice that the council has received from our specialist environmental company is that the risks of infection from the circumstances at Kidlington and Gosford Sports Centre are very low indeed.

"The samples are from the hot water supply system and not from systems that mean water droplets are in a vapour state as they have been in some high profile cases elsewhere.

"This is nothing to do with air conditioning systems. Despite this very low level of risk, we have taken this precautionary action."

More samples from the sports centre have been taken and will be tested at a laboratory this weekend.

The water system and pipes will now be disinfected.

Cherwell District Council carries out tests at sports centres every six months.

Staff have been informed of the test results and the sports centre will be closed until further notice.

The Legionella bacteria was also discovered earlier this month at Peers School pool in Littlemore and at Bullingdon Prison near Bicester.

The are up to 250 reports of Legionnaires' disease in the UK every year.