COUNCIL-OWNED leisure centres in Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston will reopen this month, it has been confirmed.

Christleton Sports Centre, Ellesmere Port Sports Village, Neston Recreation Centre and the Northgate Arena will reopen their doors on Saturday, July 25.

All eleven of the Cheshire West and Chester Council-owned sites, which are operated by its community interest company Brio Leisure, were forced to temporarily close back in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A recent report to members of the cabinet by Ian Ashworth, the council's director of public health, had earmarked September as a potential timescale for reopening.

However, Brio has confirmed that the sites in Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston, as well as centres in Northwich and Winsford, will reopen in less than two weeks with a limited timetable initially.

Brio said: "These centres will initially only be running limited timetables of activities and all activities require booking including lane swimming, gym, and fitness classes.

"As we all begin to adjust to these new ways, we'll regularly review our services and only increase these as and when it's safe to do so.

"The health and safety of both our customers and our staff are of the utmost importance, so there will be several large changes to how the centres are operated to allow us to reopen.

"We’re following the UK Active ‘Fit Together’ framework to ensure our centres are COVID Secure environments for you to exercise in.

"Please read through this information thoroughly, as failure to keep to the rules will mean you’ll be asked to leave the centre and potentially not be allowed back in or have your membership revoked.

"We understand this may seem strict, but it needs to be in order to help ensure the safety of everyone in our centres.

"We’ll be supporting the NHS Track and Trace scheme which means we’ll be sharing information with them as and when it’s requested to ensure the safety of our customers, employees and community.

"All centres remain fully accessible. The way we access our centres might be different, but our friendly team is still on hand to support you."

The booking system will be up and running from July 15, according to Brio.