The rink is a third of the size of an Olympic facility

The rink, made from real ice, has been created at the Riviera Centre and will be open for the duration of the summer.

The rink is a third of the size of an Olympic facility and it is hoped it will attract 500 visitors a day.

Barry Cole, from the Centre, said that if the facility proved a success, it could be repeated next summer and at Christmas 2005.

Refrigeration plant

"The rink gives us the best of both worlds in the summer. It is somewhere on a hot day for people to go and cool down, while it is an indoor activity for local people and visitors to enjoy when the weather is not so good," he said.

"Unfortunately we have already taken bookings that preclude us from using the facility this Christmas, but if it proves successful this summer, we hope we can regularly rebook it for the summer and winter seasons in 2005."

Mark Nelson, who helped to install the ice rink, said 40-50,000 litres of water had been used.

"That is equivalent of two million small ice cubes," he said.

"We have a refrigeration plant - equal to 700 to 800 household fridges - which drives the whole ice rink, and there is enough power created to serve a very small village."

The rink will be open every day until Friday, 3 September, from 1000 to 2200.