A youth sport has been saved from ruin after a council went back on its threat to withdraw use of a sports centre.

Dozens of children were heartbroken when Lewes District Council said the Brighton Stormers inline skating club could no longer play or practise at Lewes Leisure Centre in Mountfield Road.

The Stormers is the biggest inline skating club in the South-East but would have folded if the council had not changed its mind, as all other suitable leisure centres have waiting lists of six months or more.

The club spends five hours a week at the centre but just before Christmas, Scott Clark, coach of the adults' team, was told the club had until the end of February to get out of Lewes Leisure Centre.

Without the Stormers, the South-East of England League would have folded, as there would have been too few teams to play each other.

Mr Clark said members of the club were shocked and angry at the decision as they had spent between £250 and £500 on equipment and had never been told there was a problem with the club using the centre.

He said: "We were approached by Norman Baker, MP for Lewes, and the BBC was going to film a piece for us about the decision.

Everybody thought it was crazy.

"We knew we were in the right and were going to keep the pressure on until they changed their minds but luckily they've given us a reprieve.

"We've got five hours a week until the start of April, then they're cutting us down by two hours. They said they wanted to allow the club to be used by other community groups, which is fair enough.

"They're going to look at our use of the club again in September and I'm hoping we won't end up in the same position again, but we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.

"The players were delighted when I told them.

They had been really worried about this because the club has nowhere else to go. It would have been devastating for the sport in Sussex."

A spokeswoman for the council said the club had been told no more bookings would be accepted because players "have caused damage to floors, doors and skirting boards that the leisure centre has had to repair".

She said: "Community leisure representatives have had further discussions with the club over recent days and we are trying to reach an acceptable compromise that suits not only the club but all customers of Lewes Leisure Centre."

For information about the club visit www.brighton stormers.co.uk