WORK is now well under way to replace the ageing plant and ice pad at the Link Centre.

The ice rink closed on June 9 and will stay shut until August 19 after Swindon Council made the decision in December to proceed with the project.

It is estimated to cost £768,000, plus a further £60,000 in lost income relating to the ice rink and catering.

It came about after contractor Capita Symonds carried out a feasibility study and found that if the work was not undertaken, there was a chance the rink could become unusable at short notice and health and safety may be at risk.

Specialist contractor the Ice Rink Company started work on June 10 and has so far removed the old plant equipment and 7,600 litres of old ice to expose the original concrete base, which was found to still be sound. The ice was melted slightly, broken up, and sent to landfill over three days.

Workmen have been cleaning and painting the roof area and checking the lights as part of a redecoration. The barriers are also being raised slightly, because the level of the new ice surface will be slightly higher due to a new sand base. The new plant is expected to arrive next week.

From July 1, the workmen hope to start laying about nine miles of new pipe on the concrete base and spreading 238 tonnes of sand to create the new floor.

There will then be a process of adding and freezing water in layers, painting some of the layers with lines and logos, to create the new rink surface.

Mark Johnson, managing director of the Ice Rink Company, said: “It’s a tender price so the budget is the budget on that.

“We’re on time. We have until July 1 for various elements to be done so it’s very much a work in progress at this point but I don’t foresee any delays whatsoever.”

Jim Catton, project manager for Swindon Council, said: “We’re on time, we’re on track. We have had no major issues at present. And our big concern was, when we melted the ice, what state the concrete was in but fortunately it’s okay.”