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Two sports centres have reopened in Leicester after being refurbished as part of a redevelopment programme worth more than £300,000. One of the sites, Cossington Street Sports Centre, opened after having £60,000-worth of poolside tiling installed.

New Parks Leisure Centre, which has a newly-created gym, also celebrated its reopening with a day of free activities for residents.

The works are part of a £308,000 package of improvement works to the city's leisure centres which was agreed last year.

Other improvements to the centres include installing four new GP referral rooms for customers who have been referred by their doctors to do more exercise.

Revamped gyms at Cossington Street and Spence Street Sports Centre are also planned for the near future, alongside a new dance studio at Leicester Leys Leisure Centre.

Leicester City Council's cabinet member for culture and leisure, Councillor Robert Wann, said: "The leisure centres in the city attract over two million visits each year and are an important service to Leicester's communities. It is hoped these customers, and many more, like what they see when we reopen."

The council's head of sport services, Paul Edwards, added: "We are very excited about the improvements.

"The investment by the council will mean a lot of much-needed improvement has been carried out which we hope will benefit our customers.

"We are particularly pleased about the opening of four new referral rooms in our communities which we hope will make it easier for residents to live a healthier lifestyle."