Woodford Leisure Centre in Hull, East Yorkshire is to undergo an 18-month, £6m redevelopment which will include the addition of a new 25m six-lane swimming pool.

The work, set to begin in mid October, will also include the addition of a learner pool, improved changing facilities, a new sauna and steamroom, a café and enhanced parking facilities.

Owned and operated by Hull City Council (HCC), the centre will be equipped with new environmental technologies designed to reduce longer term operating costs.

Existing facilities at the centre – which will be closed to the public during the works – include four squash courts, a sports hall for five-a-side football and a health club equipped with Precor kit.

Garry Taylor, HCC’s manager for major projects, said: "The investment into Woodford will secure its long-term future as a top swimming and leisure facility and put it up among some of the best in the region, providing a top-class offer to the people of Hull."

When the centre reopens in 2018, the new pool within it will spell the end for the historic East Hull baths, which first opened in 1898 but remain popular with swimmers. Swimmers currently using the ageing baths will be encouraged to move to Woodford, located less than half a mile away.