A boxing club which prides itself on teaching troubled youngsters self-respect and discipline is to lose its base.

Hundreds of boys and young men have trained at Seaford Boxing Club since it opened more than 30 years ago. Many have gone on to become professional fighters.

Now East Sussex County Council, which owns the property, has ordered the club to shut because of health and safety fears over the gym in Warwick Road, Seaford.

The decision has infuriated Chris Sparks, who has helped run the club for four years.

The council wants the gym, which is also home to a kickboxing club, closed by tomorrow.

Mr Sparks, 50, a staff safety trainer for Sussex Police, believes the boxing club is doomed if new premises cannot be found soon. He said: "It's a disgrace.

The council is spending a lot of money trying to get kids off the streets and that is our whole ethos.

"It is always saying one of its key priorities is to reduce crime and the fear of crime.

"I'm a police officer and I know what I'm talking about when I say how essential boxing clubs can be in contributing to this."

About 20 boys aged eight to 15 regularly go to the club and numbers can sometimes be as high as 40.

There are also about a dozen adult members.

Mr Sparks said: "Everyone can see Britain is not having a very good Olympics this year. It's no wonder if this is what we do to our sports clubs."

The closure has also shocked pensioners Mick Chapman and Trevor West. The two friends, both 68, started the club in the mid-Seventies with just Mr West's two sons as members.

Mr West, who lives in Seaford, said: "It is a terrific club and it's heartrending to see it closed down. There has been a lot of hard work put in by everyone involved for more than 30 years and now it will all come to nothing."

East Sussex county councillor Tony Reid, who holds the finance and property portfolio, said he sympathised with the club but the authority's options were limited.

He said: "The club is a very valuable resource. We tried to work with the people in charge and have asked them to understand the situation but we have been less than encouraged by their attitude.

"The problem is that this is not a priority for the council and we have more important things to spend our limited resources on."

Anyone who might be able to help Seaford Boxing Club find a new home is asked to call Mr Sparks on 07986 485907.