RESIDENTS are set to tell council officers to stop "being secretive" about the new Darwen Leisure Centre.

Concerns grew after it was revealed £400,000 was to be taken from the £9million leisure centre funds for a new sports hall at Darwen Vale High School.

Coun Karimeh Foster will lead residents at a meeting this week, where she is set to demand answers.

Exact and final plans for the leisure centre have never been revealed and residents say they are determined to find out what will be missed out. They claim services at the leisure centre will have to be cut now that the full £9million will be unavailable.

Councillors approved the scheme last month which will see Darwen Leisure Centre sports hall move to a site across town to replace the town's leisure centre with new state-of-the-art facilities by the end of 2008.

Coun Foster, who covers Whitehall said: "There must be something they have to leave out - £400,000 is a lot and will have to be taken from somewhere.

"We still do not know exactly what is planned for the leisure centre.

"This is meant to be for the people of Darwen but they know very little about it."

Bryan Easton, 71, of Avallon way, Darwen who represents residents who use the sauna at the centre said: "I've had reassurance at the very start that a sauna would be included.

"But now they are telling me nothing has been decided either way.

"The sauna is used regularly by elderly residents.

"I don't know what we'd do without it. Most of us can't travel elsewhere.

"But if we do get a sauna, what will not be included? Something has to go since the cuts."

Residents will also remind councillors of their upset that there will be no leisure facilities for 12 months from December when the current leisure centre closes for work to be carried out on the new facilities.

Coun Foster added: "If people get used to going elsewhere, they may not return.

"Not everyone is bothered about using an Olympic swimming pool or a normal one."

Coun John Milburn, executive member for leisure and culture, said: "The fact remains that Darwen will benefit from a £9 million leisure facility that will be the best of its kind in the region and which people from Darwen will be as excited about as we are."