A POPULAR water feature in Basingstoke is to remain closed because the borough council is still waiting for a delivery of “key parts”.

The fountains between Eastrop Park and Festival Place have been closed since 2019.

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In August last year, the borough council said the fountains were closed after workers found “high levels of condensation in the plant room which powers the fountains”.

This had led to a number of parts corroding.

The council said at the time that it was working with a specialist contractor to re-open the facility “as quickly as possible” but said that because of the pandemic there were “delays in this work being carried out”.

Now, nine months later the water feature is still closed.

Leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Councillor Simon Bound, said: “The water feature outside Eastrop Park has not been switched on since 2019, owing to the Covid-19 restrictions adding to the normal seasonal switch-off period during the year.

“Preparatory works in February 2022 revealed that several key parts needed to be replaced and these parts have been ordered to enable the water feature to be switched back on. However, we have been warned by the suppliers that there are currently problems with their availability and we are awaiting for delivery details to be confirmed.

“We will update residents on progress via our website, social media channels and weekly email.”

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