LEGIONNAIRES' disease causes nearly the same dread as plague in some people's minds. So it will be surprising if there isn't considerable alarm over the news that legionella bacteria have been found at the Link Centre.

We should not panic, however.

There is no reason to doubt the Borough Council's assurances that the levels of legionella found in routine tests of water samples from the Link's cooling system were small. And regular procedures for detecting infection have clearly worked as well as they should do.

The Council is to be commended for the prompt action it took in closing the Link Centre and dealing with the problem. It was not, after all, required by law to bar the Link's doors to the public before legionella bugs became a serious problem .

The Council has promised that the water cooling system will have been fully sterilised and safe by the time the doors reopen, hopefully this evening.

Therefore the Centre, which is one of Swindon's most popular council-owned amenities, does not deserve to suffer a damaging decline in its attendance figures.

So don't worry. From tonight let us swim, skate and enjoy all the other attractions the Link can offer. We can do so with an easy mind.