YOUNG Gwent badminton players have rallied in support of a campaign to keep open their under-threat leisure centre.

The Gwent Junior Badminton team are angered at proposals to close Underwood leisure centre in Newport.

For years, the team of nine to 16-year-olds has met each Saturday morning at the centre for county training.

Now they fear they could be left without a training home and say Newport council's decision to question the future of the leisure centre is wrong.

The council says the building needs urgent electrical and repair work which would cost around £1m and closing it would save around £140,000 a year.

But residents and centre users are angry that one of their few local community facilities is in danger.

Sue Tipper, secretary to the badminton team, told the Argus the plans and the lack of communication with the centre's users was appalling.

She said: "We have a good relationship with the centre and we hold our training and tournaments there. We spend a lot of money there and it's served us well.

"As customers, we need to know what their plans are. We don't want to be left without a home half-way through a season.

"I wrote to the council explaining our position and asking for information about the plans to close the centre weeks ago but still no one has had the courtesy to tell us what is going on."