WORKERS and members of UG Sports Club Ltd, Eccleston, were left stunned this week when the club was forced to close following a decision by United Glass to stop subsidising the club.

Management at the sports social club from Bobbies Lane say United Glass first told them at the end of August that they were planning to stop the subsidy. Desperate attempts of club management to put a business plan together collapsed when they learned that overhanging debts would be passed on to them.

Faced with this perilous financial situation, the committee from UG Sports Club voted to close the club.

John Bibby, manager and secretary of the club, told the Star: "On August 24 we received a letter from United Glass stating that the company would no longer subsidise the club. We put together a business plan proposing to continue running the club, but they wrote back saying that debts of up to £18,000 would be passed on to us."

He added: "Basically were just gutted at how United Glass has acted. We don't know how they could do this to us in a matter of days. I think it stinks." The club had been running since 1938, it had 400 members and the closure has resulted in 10 staff been made redundant, two of which worked there for 25 years.

A spokesperson for United Glass defended the decision but claimed that they would continue to subsidise the club until December of this year: "Despite the fact we have had no presence in the town since April 1999 we have advised the club we will cease to subsidise the company from December 2001. We feel this was a lengthy period of subsidy considering we have not had a presence in the town for such a time."

John Bibby replied: "United Glass say the subsidy has been paid four months in advance. That means funding stopped on August 31. We were left with such financial difficulties that the committee made the decision to close."