A YOUTH worker has hit out at Dawlish Town Council and its plans to sell the Leonard Lamb Centre.

It is currently used by 45-60 children under the age of 13 on a Friday night for football, music, have parties and meet friends. Now the council has decided it was losing too much money and urgent renovation work costs would be too high.

Kris Burton, who works in the Dawlish Youth Café, said that children will be back on the streets in the evening.

He said: 'I'm a distressed about the centre closing as the kids are going to have nothing to do. A lot of them will just be back down on the Lawn or elsewhere on a Friday evening.

'This service not only keeps kids off the street but also helps out parents as well by keeping them out of their hair and out of harm's way. After running for about two years, it will be shame to close and many of the children are not going to be happy about it.

'I know the town council are going to end up selling the Leonard Lamb Centre, but I don't think they consulted all of the user groups properly.'

'I honestly don't know what we are going to do. I have considered opening up the café but there are just too many people and the café is too small.

'The kids are going to be really upset. Many of them are quite attached to the workers who help.

'For example, when the recent head youth worker, Lee Jones, left, the children made banners and had a mini protest. They are very passionate about it all.'

He added: 'The Youth Café is going to be the only place from here to Exminster where young people will be able to go. Dawlish needs its own proper youth centre.'

Town clerk John Winchester said: 'As a result of the Health, Safety and Disability Discrimination Act 1995, councillors realised that sums of money in excess of £100,000 were required to bring the Manor and Leonard Lamb Centre up to a modern standard.

'Since the Leonard Lamb had been heavily subsidised over at least five years regrettably this building was earmarked for disposal.'

The town council currently has surveyors looking into viable ways to dispose of the Leonard Lamb Centre and, if it is not sold by October, public use will end.