Westbury Swimming Pool will close for seven weeks from Monday, for essential maintenance that swimmers claim is long overdue.

Work on the pool, the oldest in the country, will include new boilers, a new hot and cold water plant, ductwork, air-conditioning and the relocation of the chlorine tank.

Wiltshire Council and DC Leisure say maintenance, which should be done by January 7, is needed to keep the pool open for the foreseeable future, while plans for a leisure campus are developed.

Neil Tribick, secretary of both Westbury Amateur Swimming Club and Westbury Leisure Alliance, said: “The work was scheduled to be finished by April this year and the council has kept us in the dark about when it was going to do it. Without air conditioning, the pool has been unbelievably hot. Hopefully this work will stand the pool in good stead for years to come.”

The club will be able to use Trowbridge Swimming Pool, after the West Wilts Force 5 Club donated time slots on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and also the Dauntsey’s School pool for the juniors. All Kinetica members can use their memberships at Warminster Sports Centre, Bradford on Avon and Trowbridge pools.