Newmarket Leisure Centre forced to close following arrival of travellers in car park

Newmarket Leisure Centre will be closed this weekend following the arrival of travellers to the car park.

The leisure centre, located on Exning Road, released a statement that said: "due to the behaviour of travellers encamped in our car park, it is with regret that we have had to make the decision to close Newmarket Leisure Centre over the weekend until Monday."

The centre has said it will contact customers who have pre-paid for activities over the weekend, allowing them to rebook and providing credit.

Members who have booked the gym, egym, gym classes or swimming sessions will also face cancellations.

The centre also said that those who attend Swim Academy lessons at the weekend will be credited their missed session.

A spokesperson for the centre said: "We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment caused but the safety of our customers and staff remains our priority."

This is not the first time traveller groups have camped in the centre car park, with previous occupations occuring in July 2019 and in 2017.

Since Thursday, July 22, when the travellers arrived, the centre has increased security staff in an effort to stop them entering the centre to use the showers and facilities.

West Suffolk Council, which runs the centre, has begun the process to evict the travellers, but this can take several days.

Newmarket Leisure Centre plans to reopen its doors to customers on Monday, July 26.

Read more: All the latest news from Suffolk

Read more: All the latest news from Newmarket