A community art gallery which supporters say is the only one of its kind in the area is being closed after ten years because a council is in debt.

Thebes Gallery in Church Twitten, Lewes, will shut when its final exhibition finishes on Sunday because Lewes District Council needs to make up a £600,000 shortfall resulting from concessionary bus fares.

It said it was being forced to sell its office building in Fisher Street, Lewes, and move seven members of staff to work in the rooms used by the gallery.

The council says officers are doing their best to find an alternative site.

Artists, art lovers and exhibition organisers fighting the decision say Thebes Gallery is unique in the town because of its central location and ethos of letting artists manage their own space.

They told The Argus its loss would be deeply felt in the community because nowhere else put on such a varied selection of exhibitions from schoolchildren, pensioners and prisoners, as well as nationally renowned artists.

Agent Emma Mason has run three separate exhibitions from the gallery including the current and last exhibition, A Celebration Of British Printmaking.

She said a stream of people had come in to share their distress at the news since the decision was made at a council meeting at the end of November.

She said: "There has been a lot of upset and people have been coming in to express their feelings all week.

"There is not another gallery like this anywhere else. It is not commercial and when it puts on a show its main criteria is not to make money.

"Where else would a group of sixth-formers get to share their work? Now it will not be seen."

Councillor and artist Amanda Dean of De Montfort Road, Lewes, said she was very upset by the news and wanted to know if there was any alternative space for the office staff to go.

She said: "The district council put in a lighting system, security system and hanging system at Thebes, and if they are really talking about transferring this somewhere else it would be costly and difficult.

"Surely it would be easier to find somewhere else to rehouse just seven members of staff.

"I don't hold out much hope that they are seriously looking for alternative sites and I find it very distressing that a longstanding public amenity is to close."

Council spokeswoman Liz Lacon said: "This space was always office accommodation but in 1997 we were asked if it was possible to use it as an art gallery.

"At that time we gave permission - it was like a goodwill gesture.

But now we have a huge financial shortfall to secure.

"We have to sell Fisher Street and staff have to go somewhere and it makes good business sense to put staff back into Thebes, which is already set up as an office. It would be crazy to try and find another location.

"A review is being carried out to find an alternative (gallery) space and we realise the urgency of it."