LATEST: Slides offer extended at Bradford's Richard Dunn Centre

A LEISURE centre's popular waterslides will shut today - weeks before the centre is due to be demolished.

The water slides at Richard Dunn centre, the Zambezi and the Cobra, have delighted generations of Bradfordians.

But this Autumn the Council-run centre, named after the Bradford boxer who fought Muhammed Ali, is due to shut.

It will be replaced by the newly built £17.5 million Sedbergh Leisure Centre a short distance away between Cleckheaton Road and Huddersfield Road.

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The Richard Dunn centre will be demolished once Sedbergh opens - although a date has not yet been set.

The Council has announced that the slides will close after today - well in advance of the centre's closure.

The slide is now at the end of its annual inspection period and will not have an operating certificate beyond next week. As we move into the period beyond the school holidays the slide would only have been available at weekends" - Bradford Council spokesman

A Council spokesman said the slides will not have an operating certificate after the end of the week.

Pool visitors are now being offered reduced admission rates in a special closing down offer, with most less than half the usual price.

RELATED: Richard Dunn centre to shut this Autumn once new leisure centre opens

Swimming prices this week are £1 for children aged three to 16, and £3 for anyone aged over 16.

Anyone wanting to ride the slides one final time can pay the 'swim and slide' rates of £2 for under-16s, and £4 for over-16s.

The pool and slides are open today and Friday from 11am to 5pm, although the Council has warned that the pool and slides could be very busy, and the pool may be closed if it becomes full to capacity.

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “Richard Dunn is scheduled to close in the Autumn when Sedbergh opens. We had planned the closure of the slides to coincide with the closure date for the centre.

"The slide is now at the end of its annual inspection period and will not have an operating certificate beyond next week. As we move into the period beyond the school holidays the slide would only have been available at weekends.

"With the extended operation of Richard Dunn we have had to carefully consider whether the cost of inspection, repair and certification to operate on perhaps a few weekends represents good value to the Council.”