A historic public swimming pool which closed and reopened as a health club despite protests is being sold again.

The building was home to Thornton Baths for almost 70 years, but closed in 2000 after engineers found major structural problems.

Now it is back on the market and is expected to fetch up to £350,000 at auction.

Auctioneers Eddisons are advising potential buyers it could be converted into apartments, offices or a nursery with suitable planning consents.

In 2002 Council chiefs decided to close the building permanently since the cost of modernising it would have cost £824,000.

The Edwardian building was then bought and underwent an expensive re-fit which saw health equipment and snooker facilities installed and it reopened as Bronte Fitness Club.

Council chiefs talked of bidding for lottery cash and working with Sport England to build a new £2 million pool, but the plan has not materialised.

Steve Warner, the authority's head of sport and leisure, said: "We have not, as yet, been able to secure funding for a new swimming pool for the Bradford district.

"However, it still remains one of our priorities and we are continuing to explore all possible funding opportunities."

The Thornton Baths building has been dogged by uncertainty for the last 20 years.

As a swimming pool, it only avoided closure in 1986 thanks to a 2,500 name petition and councillors agreed to spend £300,000 on repairs.

Two years later it dodged closure again as part of a £5 million package of Council spending cuts.

In 2001, a year into its closure on safety grounds and a year before it was finally axed, campaigners famously stripped to their swimming costumes in protest during a visit to Bradford by Prince Charles.

The auction will take place on Thursday, February 16, at Leeds United FC, Elland Road.

l The former Otley library is to be sold at the same auction.

The town's Boroughgate building closed at the end of last year to make way for the new facility on Nelson Street.