INVERKEITHING’S community pool was closed down on Monday afternoon and is now shut until further notice.

A wide range of activities take place at the pool, which is part of Inverkeithing High School and is used for both adult and children’s classes.

Fife Council confirmed a ceiling tile had fallen into the pool and they were assessing the damage to find out what repairs would be needed.

No timeframe has been given for this work.

An update post for customers on the ‘Community Use Fife’ Facebook page said: “Thanks for your understanding and apologies again for the inconvenience caused.

"After hours on Sunday a small amount of debris fell from the ceiling into the pool. The ceiling is being inspected and a timescale for the repair will be made available in due course."

They said they were contacting all customers to inform them of the closure. 

The post added: "The Community Use team at 'The Wing' are as frustrated as our customers.

"In 2018/19 the pool had over 25,000 attendances - the most at Inverkeithing for a few years and the busiest school pool in Fife.

"We are keen to ensure our community remain active and children continue to learn a valuable life-skill. We will post any updates as soon as we receive them."

Helen Doig, Inverkeithing Community Council chair, told the Press: “It’s an important facility for the community.

“On Friday nights, families use the pool as well as youths and of course there are classes too.

“So it is well-used and it always has been.

“It’s the only pool in South West Fife, it’s on our doorstep but it’s also convenient for Dalgety Bay and the surrounding towns.

“It’s a bit out of the way to go anywhere else.

“If you have three children, trying to get on the bus to Dunfermline would be a hassle before you even got there.

“I am sure the school will miss the use of it as well as the community.

“Obviously, parents feel a bit put out but they do seem to get repairs done quickly when there have been issues in the past.”

Pool use includes child and adult lessons, as well as fitness classes, leisure swimming and facility hire.

One group that will be affected more than others by the closure is InCAS Swimming Club.

The competitive amateur club trains in the pool twice a week – Mondays and Wednesdays, from 6-8pm.

Gavin Ingram, club president, said: “Inverkeithing is a big part of our training programme.

“We will try to accommodate our pupils in other pools that we use, including Dunfermline and Lochgelly.

“It tends to be younger members that train there but there are about 15-20 pupils in the pool every hour, so it’s a busy time for us.”

Councillor Dave Dempsey said: “It’s a well-used and well-valued facility.

“In feedback on where the new high school might be, the pool and community use is well-referenced. It is, of course, the only swimming pool in South West Fife.

“Ward councillors will be meeting next week and it’s on the agenda for the manager to come to speak so maybe they’ll have more of an idea of how long it might take then.

“Pools are difficult to manage and from time to time things happen out of their control.

“I think it would be reasonable to think it will be dealt with quickly.”