A CHILTERN district councillor who launched a scathing attack on a leisure centre was stopped by colleagues, who told him to sit down.

Cllr David Meacock (Con, Gold Hill, Chalfont St Peter) addressed the community and leisure services committee on Tuesday and said he was disappointed with the standard of the Chalfont Leisure Centre, in Nicol Road, Chalfont St Peter.

He said: "One of the three WCs is currently out of order. Two out of the three toilet cubicle doors require lifting to enable the locking clasp to be operated. On my way out I did by chance hear that one of the ladies' is also broken."

But Cllr Gusty Cotterell (Lib Dem, Amersham-on-the-Hill) said he was being unfair to the centre.

She said: "They have always done a good job and it is working perfectly. They have money for the next three years and we are obliged to keep an eye on it.

"The way he was harping on, well, there was no call for it."

In an unconnected incident swimmer Kate Birkett criticised the centre after she said her trip to the pool was marred by grime and poor quality facilities last Thursday.

Mrs Birkett, a sub-editor at the Free Press, said when she went for her weekly dip at the centre she found dirty changing rooms, unhygienic foot-mats and toilets which did not flush. She also complained that water levels in the pool were six inches lower than normal.

Centre managers invited her to discuss the problems on Monday.

They said that the centre had experienced problems with the toilets because of the drainage system. A temporary solution has been put in place and all the toilets were now working.

The water level had been low in the swimming pool due to a problem with the balance tank. A new part had to be ordered and the water tank was back to normal.

The untidy changing rooms were a result of a swimming club session when large numbers of young people had been using the facility, and staff will now check at the end of the session.

The mats are jet washed each morning and staff have been advised that the cleaning of the changing rooms must not commence until the last swimmer has left the pool.

Jill Mace, operations director of the centre, invited Cllr Meacock to the centre to discuss his concerns. She added: "We regret Cllr Meacock has not brought these matters to the attention of centre management at the time he had the experiences."