PALMER Park Stadium is to remain closed until the end of the week after it was found all 11 floodlights need to be removed due to safety fears.

Last week the site was closed temporarily after one of the structures was found to be faulty and deemed a hazard to those using the facilities.

But following a visit from a team of engineers all the towers now need to be taken down and events will have to run during daylight hours for the foreseeable future.

A spokesman for Reading Borough Council, who own the site, said it is not yet known how soon replacements can be sourced or how much it will cost the authority.

The track, which plays host to numerous athletics and cycling groups, was first closed last Wednesday and is due to remain so until at least Friday.

Paddy Ashcroft, club secretary for Reading Cycling Club who train as late as 10pm, said: "I'm hopeful that they will be able to find a solution soon but I have my suspicions - it's not going to be an overnight fix for sure.

"For now the impact will be small but as soon as the clocks change we have a lot of people who are there week in week out in the winter.

"It's a fabulous place to train on a Tuesday or Thursday night without the dangers of the road to really max out and work hard."

Reading Chronicle:

Councillor Paul Gittings, lead member for culture and sport, said: "Following the discovery of a structural fault on a floodlight last week, after further investigation by engineers it was recommended all light columns should be removed.

"The council has contacted groups affected and apologised for the obvious inconvenience the extended closure will cause, but we hope people will understand the safety of users has to be our priority."

The original faulty light has now been removed and the council is currently arranging for a larger crane to take out the other 10.

Once they have been removed the track will be allowed to reopen but sessions will be restricted to daylight hours until a more permanent fix can be found.

Parts of the stadium's car park will also remain cordoned off while the work takes place.

The sports centre and gym are unaffected.

Last week Reading East MP Rob Wilson weighed in on the closure claiming he had forewarned the council about safety issues at Palmer Park.

Back in March 2015 inspectors closed the track after the surface was deemed to be unsafe and Mr Wilson said the latest closure was evidence the authority had been "neglecting" leisure facilities.

The council has denied this and said the damage was "completely unforeseen".