Leisure centres in Caerphilly County Borough will not be reopening until September 1.

In Wales, leisure centres are expected to be able to reopen from Monday, August 10 as part of Welsh Government’s easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

However, Caerphilly County Borough Council has said the delayed reopening will allow the leisure centre staff to return from redeployment at other services during the pandemic.

Staff have been redeployed to help with the free school meals programme, recycling centres, contact tracing and more.

Leisure centres will reopen on a phased basis, with only a select number of facilities available to begin with.

The initial reopening will see Caerphilly, Heolddu, Newbridge and Risca leisure centres open first.

Additional safety measures that will be put in place include social distancing, pre-booked sessions, cashless transactions, one-way systems, reduced opening hours and additional cleaning of equipment.

Councillor Nigel George, cabinet member for the environment and neighbourhood services, said: “Our facilities play a vital role in our communities and their absence has been felt since we temporarily closed our doors in March.

“We are stepping up our preparations and cannot wait to welcome our valued customers back in the coming weeks.

“I am extremely thankful for staff within the sport and leisure services who have continued to support key services across the council throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Their hard work and commitment has not gone unnoticed.

“We will now begin to phase our staff back into their primary roles of helping to get more people, more active – more often.”