THE deal that finally secures the competition of Stanley's £4.5m new swimming pool has been put in place.

A North-East company has won a £1.2m contract to install the mechanical and electrical work before the pool opens sometime before spring next year.

Work began on the site behind the town's sports complex - the Louisa Centre - last December, after more than five years of campaigning for a new pool since the old Burns pool was closed.

Derwentside District Council radically altered plans for the pool after being turned down three times for National Lottery funding. Eventually, £3m was granted by Lottery agents Sport England and a further £1.5m was raised by the authority.

Norstead, a mechanical and electrical firm in Killingworth, Newcastle, has successfully bid with Morrison Construction to handle the mechanical and electrical aspects of the project.

The contract involves work on the main pool and nearby teaching pool and includes the installation of a full air- conditioning system, along with heating, and pool fire defence systems.

The firm is also contracted to provide the rest of the centre with an internal boiler house and a heating service.

Norstead managing director Robert Pratt said: "We have a long-running working relationship with Derwentside District Council and are delighted to be involved in such a beneficial local project.

"The leisure centre provides a range of recreational facilities to the community and the improvements to the centre will hopefully encourage more people in the area to take advantage of the facility."

District council divisional head Bill Tindale said: "Norstead has been the principal contractors for mechanical and electrical services to the council for the past six years and we are more than satisfied with the work they have undertaken.