A number of Wirral leisure centres will resume operating services with increased access and capacity after more than a year of Covid disruption from today.

West Kirby Concourse, Europa Pools, Guinea Gap Leisure Centre and Wirral Tennis Centre will be operating at increased capacity for customers visiting the gyms, swimming pools and exercise classes.

Fitness facilities at Leasowe and Oval Leisure Centres will continue to operate within the current operating procedures.

Woodchurch Leisure Centre will remain as a dedicated vaccination site.

The Sports Hall at the Oval Leisure Centre in Bebington will continue to be used for vaccinations.

As part of the expansion of services, the council will still be retaining extensive high visibility COVID-19 safety advisory notices within leisure centre sites

Access to swimming pools and the gyms will increase and it will no longer be essential for customers to pre book and pay prior to arrival however customers are advised that pre booking and paying for activities online will guarantee access to the activities of their choice.

Exercise class capacity will also be increased where possible at these sites, and outdoors where applicable. Exercise Classes must still be pre-booked online, at centres or by telephone prior to session start time.

Access to sports halls, squash courts, and cafes will follow in the coming weeks.

The Sail Loft Bistro/Restaurant at West Kirby will also be increasing to full occupancy alongside catering facilities at the Floral Pavilion.

Councillor Helen Cameron, chair of Wirral's tourism communities, culture and leisure committee, said: "I am sure this news will be warmly welcomed by residents, particularly as we move towards winter and options for outdoor exercise become more limited.

"However, the virus has not gone away and for us to be able to successfully sustain a full and unrestricted offer will very much depend on the personal responsibility of those using leisure centre facilities so I would urge all leisure centre users to follow the guidance to help control spread of the virus.

"We will taking extra steps to ensure our centres cleaned and sanitised beyond the already high standard we expect in our centres to ensure our customers are - and feel - as safe as possible during their visits."

The provision of services will be monitored against all local Covid-19 data and kept under review on a six-weekly cycle.

You can find more info about Wirral leisure centres and Invigor8 membership at wirralleisure.co.uk/

Invigor8 Memberships can be reinstated by telephoning the central leisure team on 0151 606 2010 or email or bookingsandinformation@wirral.gov.uk