Torquay’s indoor beach has been closed for a deep clean and a revamp of the changing rooms.

The Waves Leisure Pool at the Riviera International Centre undergoes an annual shutdown for planned, routine maintenance, with a third of its water emptied out in a process that takes two and a half days.

Tanya Brimicombe, Waves Leisure Pool manager, explained the procedure. She said: “At least a third of the water gets emptied every year so we can carry out our planned maintenance and deep cleaning. We have to release the water very slowly otherwise the sudden drop in weight could damage the structure of the pool.

“During the shut down we carry out essential routine maintenance in the Pools plant room, as well as a deep clean that takes place in all areas including the changing rooms and poolside.”

Around 100,000 people a year use the pool with school holidays being the most popular time – last August the Centre broke all records with 1,584 swimmers on one day. The spring-cleaned fun pool reopened at 4pm on Friday 18th of January.