A COMMUNITY centre is under fire for closing during the school summer holidays, forcing many planned activities to be shelved.

Baneswell Community Centre, in Stow Hill, Newport, is the venue for several clubs throughout the year and was to host summer classes organised by the city council.

But the management committee decided to close it until September, leaving youngsters disappointed and community workers angry.

"All the other community centres in Newport are open so why isn't Baneswell?" said Pat Wright, secretary of the Echo community group.

"We work hard to get youngsters off the streets and then when the schools close, so does the centre. It's ridiculous."

The Everyone Counts Here on Stow Hill (Echo) treasurer, Russell Couper, said the club and other centre users had no warning about the closure.

"The management committee had a meeting and decided to close the centre and that was that," he said. "No explanation was given other than something about a lack of a cleaner."

Other centre users such as the Silver Lining pensioners' club, a belly dancing class and a martial arts class, have all been forced to halt activities.

Newport city council will also have to find an alternative venue for its pre-publicised Splash programmes, which would have offered youth summer activities at Baneswell.

Teenager Hayley Thompson and other fed up youngsters have started a petition calling for the centre to re-open.

"We had no notice - we were just told we couldn't meet any more," said 14-year-old Hayley, of St Woolos Road. "We were all gutted because there is nothing to do round here."

Stow Hill councillor Peter Davies, who is a member of the Baneswell community centre committee, said the centre traditionally closes every August.

"We received a request from the youth club to operate during August but there was no caretaker available," he said.