THE opening of new Salisbury's £6m swimming pool has been delayed by six months.

Last year's wet weather and an occasional shortage of building labour have been blamed for the hold-up until the middle of next year.

The timing of the announcement - just six weeks before the expected opening in January - is certain to anger Salisbury swimmers, particularly as the wet weather occurred almost a year ago.

The city has been waiting for many years for a new pool after a survey found it was the facility that most people across the district wanted.

Despite the setback, district council community and housing portfolio holder John Cole-Morgan said he was pleased with the progress made.

He said: "There have been one or two delays in the build process, especially as a result of the extremely wet weather at the end of last year.

"All aspects of the work are being carried out with meticulous checks on quality and neither the contractor nor the council will compromise quality in favour of speed.

"The people of south Wiltshire deserve a first-class swimming facility and that is what we are going to provide."