Oxford Ice Rink is to close for a month this summer for £15,000 worth of repairs.

The 18-year-old attraction in Oxpens Road will close on June 4 and reopen on June 23.

The ice is being lifted and the pad repainted, together with the replacement of kicker boards and barrier repairs.

While the rink is shut down, contractors can also carry out maintenance work on the refrigeration system.

More than 1,000 people a week visit the attraction, which is run by Oxford City Council.

The rink can be a lucrative source of income and the authority is budgeting for £30,000 in lost takings.

Jason Holden, ice rink administrator, added: "We have to carry out this procedure once every three years.

"It's a shame to have to do it at this time of year when a lot of people want to go ice-skating but it is essential."

Twenty-six staff work at the ice rink including full-time and part-time workers.

The full-time staff will remain on full pay during the temporary shut-down, which will cost thousands of pounds, but the council has declined to say how much the repairs will cost taxpayers.

The rink is included on a list of council leisure facilities that may be offered to a not-for-profit organisation for management purposes because it says it can not afford to maintain them.

Cllr Jim Campbell, the city council's leisure services chairman, said: "The temporary closures are getting more radical every time unfortunately.

"I feel more committed to swimming pools and fitness centres than I do to the ice rink because they can reach wider age ranges.

"Railtrack's plans to move Oxford Station 500 metres south will give the whole Oxpens area a greater significance.

"We are certainly not going to sell off the ice rink until we know what is happening."