A loose pipe fitting at a showpiece youth project caused a flood which destroyed £35,000 of gym equipment, it has emerged.

And a legal wrangle between the kit manufacturers and insurers over whether the equipment would be replaced has only just been resolved.

Youth centre Culture Fusion opened in a redeveloped mill in Thornton Road, Bradford, in November 2011.

The multi-million-pound project is a partnership between Bradford Council and the City of Bradford YMCA and its state-of-the-art facilities include a music studio, activity rooms and youth cafe.

But its gym flooded within a day of the new centre being handed over to the YMCA and a “debate” with the insurance company over whether it would pay out has only just ended.

A Culture Fusion spokesman said: “Not long after we moved into the building the gym got flooded. There was some debate between the manufacturers of the gym equipment and the insurers over whether it needed replacing. This took several months to resolve, but the equipment has now been replaced and the gym is being well-used by young people. College students are also doing work experience placements there.

“The flooding was caused by a loose fitting on the main rising water main and this was made good by the building contractor. The insurers did pay the cost of the equipment that needed replacing and this was in the region of £35,000.”

The details emerged in a report on Culture Fusion’s first year for Bradford Council’s overview and scrutiny committee for children’s services.

The report, written by Bradford Council’s assistant director of children’s specialist services, Julie Jenkins, said the gym had only just become operational.

It said: “This has had an impact on young people wanting to use the facility and on income generation.”

Successes include an increasingly busy advice centre for young people looking for jobs or learning opportunities.

The report said so far more than 1,000 young people had taken part in activities aimed at improving their understanding and acceptance of people from other backgrounds and communities.

More than 1,500 young people had accessed health advice at the centre and more than 3,200 people had visited for other activities, the report said.