A POOLE leisure centre has gone into administration, leaving the future for 62 staff and thousands of customers hanging in the balance.

Staff at the popular Broadstone Leisure Centre were given the shock news at lunchtime on Thursday (June 18), just hours after administrators were appointed.

On Thursday the centre was as busy as ever. Administrators confirmed it was “business as usual” for now, but could offer no guarantees for even the near future.

Wessex Sports Charitable Trust, which runs the facility, is believed to have been heavily in debt.

It requested a six-figure grant from Borough of Poole in March after the banks called in a number of debts – but it was refused.

Borough of Poole owns the building and land at the Station Approach site, where facilities include a 20m indoor pool, gym, fitness suite, hall and tennis courts.

It has leased it to the trust at a “peppercorn rent”, and provided £15,000 annual grants, but has declined to bail it out of its financial problems.

There is 50-60 years left on the council lease, and if a new operator is found that could be re-negotiated.

Cllr Peter Adams, portfolio holder for leisure, said: “The council is urgently trying to find a way to protect its future. However I am sure that people will understand that we cannot put public money into private organisations that are struggling to trade.”

He added: “Due to the financial position the council is in and with the credit crunch, it is impossible for us to fund this situation.”

Broadstone ward councillor Mike Brooke said the news would come as a shock to local residents.

He said of the centre: “I don’t think they’ve ever recovered from the £1 million spent on the refurbishment.

“They had to borrow significantly on that – and that may have been the start of it.”

The news comes as another hammer blow to sports facilities in Poole.

Poole Sports Centre in the Dolphin Shopping Centre, formerly run by the trust, is still closed, 18 months after shutting its doors on 40 staff and hundreds of users.

The centre was being leased to UK Sports Centres when it closed without warning.

Andy Beckingham and Matthew Tait, business restructuring experts at BDO Stoy Hayward in Southampton, were made the joint administrators yesterday.

In a statement they said they would be “working closely with The Borough of Poole and the charitable trustees to find a solution that will enable the continued provision of leisure services to the community in Broadstone.”