AN electrical fire has caused the Ochil Leisure Centre (OLC) to close for the “foreseeable future”.

The incident, on Wednesday 3 September, happened within the main electrical control panel and has impacted on the systems throughout the building.

The Alva facility — which is run by community-led social enterprise, Ochil Leisure Enterprises (OLE) — is now closed to the public while a thorough assessment of the damage is carried out.

An electrical engineer will determine the repairs needed, and the cost, but until then there is uncertainty around the future of the centre.

Chair and director, Douglas Skilling, said, “We believe that the pool is a very important part of our community and will continue to do all we can to keep it there. Until we get the information we need, we cannot make any decisions on that.” On Friday (5 September) the Board of Directors officially addressed the issue, apologising to customers, thanking supporters and explaining the situation.

The board said, “It is with regret that The Board of Directors of Ochil, Leisure Centre, Alva has to announce that due to a fire in the main electrical control panel on September 3rd and resulting damage to the systems within the building the centre is no longer able to operate. It will be closed for the foreseeable future as we assess the damage.

“We apologise to all our customers for this situation. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us in any way and in particular our staff and volunteers for all the hard work and effort they have contributed.

“We believe that we have demonstrated that the centre has an important role to play in the health and wellbeing of our communities and in the delivery of Clackmannanshire Council’s Health & Leisure Strategy and we will be discussing the future of the centre as a matter of urgency.” Refunds for swimming lessons will be available at the centre at the following times: Wednesday (today) to Friday (12 September) between 9.30am and 5pm, or contact the centre on 01259 763831.