Wax to blame for slippery floors
The floors have since been replaced by a separate flooring firm
A council spent thousands of pounds in a legal battle over slippery floors at its leisure centres - but cleaners were in fact using the wrong sort of wax.
New Forest District Council spent £10,000 renewing floors at sports halls in Ringwood, Totton and Dibden Purlieu in 2004, but soon had complaints.
Councillors said £300,000 was spent by the council taking the flooring firm to court, when wax was the real problem.
The council chief executive would not reveal the real cost due to an inquiry.
People began to complain about the slippery floors as soon as they were laid in 2004, and the council closed all three leisure centres.
More staff
It brought in a new company to replace the floors, but the council's lawyers wanted compensation.
Councillor David Harrison said the money spent on legal fees could have funded more council staff.
"Three hundred thousand pounds would employ up to 10 [council] officers for a year, or six community safety officers," he said.
New Forest District councillors ordered an inquiry, which is due to begin in March.
David Yates, chief executive of New Forest District Council, said the figure spent would not cause council tax in the district to rise.
He told the BBC: "It will have little impact on the overall budget and certainly no impact on the tax that we set next year."
