Council-owned leisure centres across the Babergh district will reopen to the public from July 27 – but you will have to book in advance to ensure social distancing can be observed at all times.

Abbeycroft Leisure, the not-for-profit social enterprise which manages Babergh’s leisure centres in Sudbury, Hadleigh,East Bergholt and Holbrook, has a plan in place for phased starting of activities, and is guiding its members through the new ways they will be using facilities.

Derek Davis, cabinet member for communities at Babergh, said: “It’s wonderful that we now have a clear picture about when our customers can return to our leisure centres to get active again.

Warren Smyth, chief executive of Abbeycroft Leisure, said: “Our aim is to welcome everyone back safely and in accordance with the guidance.

“The phased reopening means not everything will be open to begin with, but we will be working closely with customers to keep this under review.”

All users will need to be registered and pre-book their sessions, which is a legal requirement to support the national NHS Test and Trace service.

This can be done online and customers needing help can contact the call centre on 01284 757473.