hit by flood drama

A FLOOD has hit a Burgess Hill leisure centre - just days before it is to be officially opened by the Queen.

The basement of the £13.5 million Triangle sports complex in Jane Murray Way was found knee-deep in water by a security guard yesterday.

Firefighters spent three hours pumping it out.

Now leisure chiefs are racing to get back on schedule in time for the opening on Friday, March 26.

More than 100,000 litres of water burst into the basement after a pipe underneath one of the pools burst.

By the time the break in the pipe joint was spotted the water was about 18in deep.

But contractors Miller Construction today insisted the damage, which is still being assessed by engineers, will not jeopardise the Queen's visit with the Duke of Edinburgh.

Liz Atkinson, spokeswoman for Miller, said: "The worst case scenario is that one of the pumps may be damaged.

"Whatever the outcome, it will not have any effect on next week's opening.

There's no question of that."

Leisure chiefs at Mid Sussex District Council, which owns the leisure centre, said it was a "minor" setback.

Director of leisure John Pegler said: "The pipe has been fixed and the water removed. The area is now being left to dry out.

"We do not expect the opening to be affected."

Fire officers from Burgess Hill and Hurstpierpoint attended the flood.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.