Wantage residents have hit out at the state of the leisure centre in the town saying the facility is in an ‘appalling’ condition.

They have also argued that the state of the leisure centre is symptomatic of a general lack of investment in Wantage.

Wantage Leisure Centre is owned by Vale of White Horse District Council, but the facility is managed on a day-to-day basis by leisure contractor GLL.

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One concerned resident, who did not want to be named, raised concerns about the state of the sports hall that is used by local secondary school, King Alfred’s Academy.

He said: “The state of Wantage leisure centre is appalling there are multiple leaks in the roof of the sports hall.

“A student of King Alfred's has already been injured (broken leg) back in November 2022 due to the same issue.

“The hall has yet been repaired to this day and this is interrupting the learning of students.

“There are pieces of paper roll all over the floor to mop up the water.

“This is a major issue and if left more injuries could occur.

Bernard Connelly has used the centre for 45 years and also worked there until 2004.

He said: “I complained to the management in August because of the state of the changing rooms which had broken locks.

“The whole centre has been deteriorating for the last 10 years.

“It is in a really run down state and the showers are often cold.”

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Mr Connelly has likened what he argues is a lack of investment in the centre with a general lack of infrastructure in Wantage.

He added: “More money needs to be invested as with all the houses in the area, it is inadequate.

“They [the council] are spending money in other areas such as Abingdon but Wantage is a forgotten town.

“Everything is deteriorating, it is looking tired.

“Wantage has been dumped on and forgotten.

“They are hell-bent on building houses and no infrastructure.”

Vale of White Horse District Council maintain that they are investing sufficiently in the centre.

A council spokesman said: “We manage a number of Better Leisure facilities across the district and all have received investment over the years.

“Each centre operates in a different way and we have to assess their needs along with our financial position at the time with regards to what we are able to do.

“All the Better UK centres in the district have the same level of maintenance requirements and regular attention. 

“Wantage Leisure Centre is nearly 50 years old and as such has become harder to maintain.

“We’re investing into the centre and announced in our latest budget plans to build a teaching pool at the facility which will help future generations learn to swim in the area. 

“We have recently applied for financial support through the government Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which will help us to make improvements such as providing a new heating system and roofing insulation.

“This will make the centre more cost effective to run and will significantly improve the carbon footprint of the building. 

“This facility is very important to us, and our residents and we are investing in it to make sure that it is available to use for many years to come.”

GLL were contacted for comment in relation to the comments made in this article. 

A spokesperson for GLL said: “The leaks referenced in this article happened in November 2022 and were repaired at that time. 

"The water on the floor, shown in the photos, is water from a deep clean undertaken by leisure centre staff the night before.

"The floor hadn’t dried as quickly as expected due to cold overnight temperatures.

"Staff dried the floor before activities commenced and undertook all appropriate safety checks.

“We understand that these photos have been circulating on social media and assumptions were made, linking the wet floor to the previous 2022 leaks, without the facts being verified with leisure centre staff.”