USE of Breckland Leisure Centre in Thetford has decreased according to figures published in a report.

USE of Breckland Leisure Centre in Thetford has decreased according to figures published in a report.

Use of the centre's sports hall and synthetic pitch had increased between January and September this year, compared to last year, according to the report to Breckland Council's overview and scrutiny commission meeting tomorrow.

However, overall use had dropped from 219,217 to 214,149 in those periods.

The centre is now three years in to a private finance initiative (PFI) contract between Breckland Council and leisure centre firm Parkwood Leisure, which runs 68 centres nationwide.

According to Parkwood Leisure's annual service report Breckland Leisure Centre's pool shut three times in the past financial year, due to chemical dosing issues in October 2008 and a closure in December 2008.

The centre was 45 minutes late in opening one day in March this year, however Parkwood's centres at Thetford and Dereham were being opened longer hours than they are contracted with Breckland to open, the service report said.

There were four accidents at the centre in the financial year. A member of staff dislocated her shoulders coming out of the pool during training, a child spilt hot tea on itself, a woman fell off a treadmill due to her towel falling off the rails and a man broke his arm during a jujitsu class.