THERE has been “considerable progress” in efforts to reopen Ebbw Vale leisure centre following the roof collapse and flood, the managing director of Aneurin Leisure has said.

Water cascaded down flights of stairs inside the building on Saturday morning after the ceiling of the reception fell in.

The £15 million sports centre, which was opened in September 2013, had to be evacuated and now all facilities including the outdoor pitches have been closed until further notice.

Today Anthony Hughes, managing director of Aneurin Leisure which runs the centre, said water penetrated across the whole front of the building and the whole centre lost power.

But today officers were on site releasing blockages in the main guttering system which allowed a large amount of water to be drained off and preventing further flooding.

80 per cent of the lights now work and underfloor heating in the changing rooms is back on.

De-humidifiers have been placed around the building to dry it out.