Paralympic gold medallist David Weir CBE said he was "deeply moved" by an official ceremony to rename a leisure centre in his honour.

Sutton Arena has been officially renamed the David Weir Leisure centre following a record breaking summer for the athlete.

The father of two added four gold medals at London 2012 to the two he won in Beijing four years earlier, but said he was "absolutely delighted" by the decision to rename his local sports centre after him.

He said: "I am absolutely delighted. It is a very great honour. I have trained there and taken part in a few events there and it’s an excellent facility."

"My daughter comes to this leisure centre with her school and it will be very exciting for her to see my name over the door."

The formal renaming included a speech by Councillor Jill Whitehead, chairwoman of Sutton Council’s environment and neighbourhoods committee, who said: "David’s achievements are absolutely astonishing and they provide great pleasure and pride for everyone in the borough. Renaming the leisure centre in David’s honour is our way of showing the affection and respect we have for him."

The six-time London Marathon winner was honoured by the council in 2009 after returning from Beijing, being made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough, the first person in 30 years to receive the recognition.

The centre, then named Carshalton Sports Arena, was first used in 1953 when it had a 440 yard cinder track.

Now, in addition to the state-of-the-art facilities for elite athletes and seating for 300 spectators, it also has a broad range of events, training and equipment to appeal to local users of all ages and abilities.

Sutton Council also took the opportunity to launch a new sports and physical activity programme for people with disabilities at the event