By Rachael Grealish

Cumberland Council has revealed the RAAC was found in the roof of the events centre of The Sands after all events were postponed.

On September 5, it was confirmed, Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was found in a critical structural component of The Sands Centre, in Carlisle. A spokesperson for Cumberland Council has now disclosed that the presence of RAAC concrete has been identified in the roof of the events centre within The Sands.

RAAC, a lightweight and durable building material, has been the subject of increased scrutiny due to recent changes in government guidance on its use in construction.

“Following the recent change in government guidance on the use of RAAC in buildings, a detailed assessment of The Sands’ events space is continuing,” the Cumberland Council Spokesperson said.

“RAAC concrete has been identified in the roof of the events centre and action needs to be taken by the council to ensure the safe use of the auditorium.

“Specialist structural engineers, working on behalf of the council, are looking at the potential long-term solutions as well as what mitigating steps could be taken to allow the space to continue hosting events for a temporary period.”

The council went on to see ongoing assessments are being made and GLL, the organisation responsible for managing The Sands Centre, has been advised to remain closed and further postpone events in October as the company is now making ‘every effort to reschedule dates for the affected events’ and will contact ticket holders with updates.

It has also been confirmed the decision to temporarily close the events space is a precautionary step and does not impact on the day-to-day running of the main leisure centre. The new main Sands Centre building is unaffected, which includes the pools, gym, sports halls, café, bars and restaurant.

GLL spokesperson added: “At the request of Cumberland Council, we are postponing all events in October. Once the time frames become clearer, we will be able to update ticket holders as to the status of the future events programme.

“At this time, there is no need for customers to contact the box office, and rest assured that we will be in touch to discuss options with ticket holders once we’re able to do so.”

Events now postponed at The Sands Centre:

• Fastlove – Sat 30 Sep
• The Waterboys – Sun 1 Oct
• Nathan Carter – Thu 5 Oct
• 80s Live! – Fri 6 Oct
• Royal Northern Sinfonia – Sun 8 Oct
• Bridesmaids of Britain – Tue 10 Oct – Refund in progress
• The Bootleg Beatles – Thu 12 Oct
• The Greatest Love of All – Fri 13 Oct
• The Serial Killer Next Door – Thu 19 October
• UK Pink Floyd Experience – Fri 20 Oct
• Milkshake Live! – Sat 21 Oct
• Cirque – The Greatest Show! – Wed 25 & Sun 29 Oct
• Vampires Rock – Fri 27 Oct
• Queenz – The Show With Balls! – Sat 28 Oct