IPSWICH Crown Pools has fully reopened after a ten-month �3.5million refurbishment – just as Olympic fever takes hold.

The competition pool opened once managers were confident that the last new tiles had safely hardened in position.

Work to update the 1984-built pools started two years ago with changing rooms being overhauled.

Over the last ten months the roof has been strengthened, new heating and filter equipment has been installed for all three pools, they have been re-tiled, and new seating and decorations have been completed.

The leisure and teaching pools have been re-opened since March, but now the whole complex is able to take advantage of the surge of interest in sport prompted by the Olympics.

Ipswich council sports manager Tim Snook, who has overseen the refurbishment, said: “We were handed back the pool on Friday and we did tests over the weekend before deciding we could reopen.

“We could not announce this in advance because we wanted to be sure we could open – but there could not be a better time to get up and running again with all the interest in sport from the Olympics.”

Borough leisure spokeswoman Bryony Rudkin said: “We are pleased to announce the re-opening of the competition pool and I think we now have a pools complex of which to be really proud.

“This has been an extensive refurbishment operation to bring Crown Pools back to its best and I would like to thank all our customers for their patience.”

The council spent �4m upgrading its swimming facilities – �3.5m on Crown Pools followed �500,000 spent on Fore Street, which has proved very popular during the closure programme.