The Ferry Sports Centre in Oxford was left counting the cost of the freak weather yesterday, after flooding forced the venue to close for 48 hours.

The centre in Diamond Place, Summertown, only reopened in April after a £3.5m refurbishment.

Oxford City Council, which runs the sports centre, said only superficial damage was caused after a torrent of water rushed through the front doors on Saturday afternoon.

One eyewitness, who had taken her children swimming, said: "There was a torrential downpour and in the reception area, water was beginning to appear on the floor.

"There was at least a couple of inches of water on the reception area floor.

"Outside, there was a big concrete drain cover that was lifted at least six inches in the air by the pressure of the water. A man was standing on it trying to keep it still.

"The management reacted very well, kept people calm and tried to evacuate them as quickly as possible."

The swimming pool reopened on Sunday afternoon while the gym reopened yesterday afternoon.

Council spokesman Chris Lee said: "There wasn't any major cost due to the flooding and there wasn't any contamination of the pool. One of the major problems was with health and safety, because of a slippery floor."