A POOLE councillor who is calling for the borough to consider stepping in to save Poole Sports Centre has been told it would be impossible.

Cllr Philip Eades, deputy group leader for the Liberal Democrats, made the suggestion in a letter to council leader Brian Leverett.

In it he appealed for a full investigation into the council taking on the centre as a community facility.

Cllr Eades said: "This is an important community facility and I think the council has to investigate taking this on. We shouldn't just let it close and wash our hands of it."

But Cllr Leverett has said Borough of Poole simply cannot afford to set the strick-en centre back on its feet.

The troubled facility, based in the Dolphin Shopping Centre, was closed without warning last Thursday as bailiffs moved in to put operators UK Sports Centres Ltd into liquidation.

Cllr Brian Leverett said Borough of Poole had looked into the possibility of taking on the centre two years ago, and again more recently - work which had revealed a "considerable amount of investment" was needed.

He said: "At that time the council decided that it was not possible to provide such a level of ongoing support. In that case I don't think there's a case for future investigation of the options."

He added: "We simply don't have the money to support this - we are now one of the worst-funded unitary authorities in the country."

Geoff Allen, chair of the Poole and Bournemouth Volleyball Association, which has been based at the centre for decades, said: "We have nine vollyballers working towards 2012, and more England juniors coming through - that could be lost."