THE bulldozers have begun chipping away at the Water Place swimming complex in Bolton.

And within a month, the building will be flattened.

What is built in its place remains a mystery but town hall bosses will be relieved that after nine months of controversy, the ailing property will finally vanish from Bolton's town centre landscape.

For 14 years, the Water Place was the focal point for people eager to take a dip in the pool.

The £5 million complex closed nine months ago and has since been empty and boarded up.

The land will be sold for an estimated £2 million. There are plans in the pipeline to build a town centre pool elsewhere.

The Water Place was forced to close when it emerged that the building needed £4.5 million worth of repairs, a cost the local authority said was impossible to meet since a dwindling number of users meant the facility was leaking too much cash.