LEISURE centre users are up in arms over the closure of their sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.

Bromley MyTime, which runs several leisure facilities in the borough, has closed the health suite at The Spa at Beckenham in Beckenham Road.

Angered members have collected a petition with 400 signatures against the closure and asking for it to be reinstated.

Organiser of the campaign to re-open it, Finbar Tinto, said: "If MyTime had bothered to consult us they would have realised this was an important area.

"We consider it to be the central part of the centre- it brings people together."

Instead Mr Tinto from Dulwich says that there was no consultation with members before the closure, only a sign that went up two weeks before.

The petition has been given to Beckenham MP Jacqui Lait and the manager of the centre, Mary Rose McMahon.

According to MyTime's website, it admitted that there had been problems recently in the health suite with anti-social behaviour.

Some visitors were breaking the rules of use. It had attempted to manage this area with current staff and by employing extra security.

However, MyTime closed the health suite on July 1 because of the poor state of the facilities and the high level of maintenance required to keep it operating successfully.

The jacuzzi had already been shut for some weeks previous to that.

According to the website the future of the suite is uncertain and the leisure trust will be investigating to see if it will be possible to re-open it.

It could take a number of months before a decision can be made.

In the meantime members of the Beckenham centre have been directed to use the health suites at either the Walnuts in Lych Gate Road, Orpington or the Pavilion in Kentish Way, Bromley.