CARNEGIE Leisure Centre users face disruption next month as ongoing problems will force one of its swimming pools to close.

The training pool will shut for five days from November 7-11 while the roof is repaired and a fault with the pool’s moveable floor, which is stuck, also needs to be fixed. 

More than four years after its £21 million refurbishment, the Pilmuir Street facility has also had issues with air quality, leaks from the junior pool, mechanical and electrical defects. 

Work on the pool floor is not expected to be carried out until November 1 and users of the training pool, including Dunfermline Water Polo Club, will have their training and match schedules affected.

A spokesperson for Fife Sports and Leisure Trust, who manage the centre on behalf of Fife Council, said there will be a knock-on effect for public swimming.

They said: “A fault to the training pool moveable floor has meant that there will be disruption to normal swimming timetables while repairs are carried out. 

“The unforeseen problem will mean that users of the training pool, including clubs which use the facility to train, will be affected. 

“Staff have worked hard to ensure maximum capacity for all pool users and to minimise the impact on customers.

“Dunfermline Water Polo Club, like other clubs who use our pools for training, has been advised of the works and consulted with, in order to minimise disruption to training. Capacity has been made available to the water polo club in the main pool so they can continue to train and ensure we accommodate its competition schedule.

“The trust will be working closely with Fife Council to carry out repairs to the moveable floor and to facilitate scheduled works to the roof above the training pool.” 

They added: “Details of pool availability for public swimming and clubs will be made available on our website and in the centre. We apologise for any inconvenience to users but can assure our customers we are committed to maximising pool capacity during this period.”

The Press reported last month that a report to the City of Dunfermline area committee admitted that closures at Carnegie would be needed to address the maintenance and repairs that are still outstanding.

Delivered a year late and £10m over budget, one of the centre’s biggest issues came to light in June 2014 when a Sportscotland doctor advised elite swimmers from Carnegie Swimming Club to stop using the pool due to concerns over air quality.

He found the swimmers’ lung capacity was affected after sessions and, in the worst case, a 15-year-old boy was hospitalised after falling ill on the way home from training. 

Large fans were put next to the pool but, two years on, a permanent solution has yet to be found.