KENNET is apologising in advance for disruption at the Marlborough Leisure Centre over the next few weeks when the fitness suite will be extended.

The fitness suite can no longer cope with demand, said Kennet's marketing manager Pip Applegate.

Ms Applegate recently joined the council to develop use of the council's three leisure centres at Marlborough, Devizes and Tidworth.

Popular demand has led to extra equipment being put in the fitness suite at the Marlborough centre at Barton Dene.

But this has created cramped conditions with the only area for warm up exercises being a tiny space between the exercise machines.

The plan is to enlarge the fitness suite to take in an adjacent meeting room.

Ms Applegate is keen to emphasise that no facilities will be lost because one of the squash courts is being adapted as a dual purpose meeting room.

The fitness suite will close on April 5 for one day while all the equipment is transferred to the centre's small hall where it can be used for about a month while the building work takes place.

In May, on dates still to be fixed, the fitness equipment will be out of action for two days while it is transferred back to the extended suite.

When it re-opens it will have an extra leg press, a new dual action pulley machine, extra dumbbells, one more rowing machine and a much bigger warm-up area.

The squash courts will be closed for a week from March 29 and re-open on April 5.

Ms Applegate said: "We apologise for any inconvenience that is caused during this work that will result in a much bigger fitness suite at the Marlborough leisure centre."