MINEHEAD'S Aquasplash swimming pool will be re-opened on a limited basis from Monday - with a water temperature a couple of degrees cooler than usual.

There had been fears the pool would be closed until February 11 after a faulty thermostat caused £18,500 damage to a condenser unit forcing the complete closure of the pool.

But staff have discovered they can maintain a reasonable water temperature if they limit use and heat the air around the pool.

The news is a stroke of luck for members of Minehead Swimming Club who had been faced with the possibility of being unable to train for next month's essential county championships.

From Monday, active pool users such as lane-swimmers and Aquafit members will be able to use the pool on a very limited basis with one to two hour sessions spread across the week.

There will also be public swimming sessions on Friday mornings and at lunchtime on Saturdays and Sundays.

However, the pool will be out of bounds for very young and disabled swimmers as there are fears the colder water could have an adverse effect on their health.

West Somerset District Council's portfolio holder for leisure, Cllr Simon Stokes said: "We found that as long as we leave a gap between sessions to stabilise the pool temperature we can open for short periods of time.

"We have also made sure the swimming club has regained complete use, although we feel it would not be suitable for less active swimmers to use the pool."

The pool will not re-open fully until a new condenser unit is installed, probably at the beginning of February.

In the meantime, residents can use the gym and health suite facilities at the leisure complex.

However, the entire centre was forced to close last Thursday night when water flooded the main switchboard and fused the electrics.

The accident happened while a valve was being changed during routine maintenance. The gym was out of action for two hours, and the sauna and spa were closed until the following morning.