MEMBERS and staff at a York working men's club are outraged after being told they have to get out in less than two weeks because the building has been sold.

Representatives from John Smith's Ltd, the Tadcaster brewery that owns Layerthorpe WMC, held a meeting with club members last night and informed them that the club will close on September 17 when Leeds-based firm JTM Developments moves in for redevelopment.

Graham Sykes, recoveries manager for the brewery, told the meeting that the building was sold on August 10, after the club had accrued £175,000 worth of debt.

He refused to comment to the Evening Press, who were invited to the meeting by the club, and ejected our reporter, saying: "If you don't leave I will not stay and speak to the members.

"I will not be quoted."

Ann Barker, secretary for the club, in Little Hallfield Road, said she was devastated that the brewery had sold the building, leaving her jobless and 400 members without a club.

The club, which will be forced to disband after 92 years - nearly 30 in the current building - has enlisted the help of solicitor Peter Kay, from Ware and Kay, in York, but he said after the meeting that the members had no rights now the building had been sold.

Mrs Barker, who has been a club member for nearly 30 years, said: "If they can do it to us then how many more places will they do it to?

"This is the centre of the community and the least they could have done would have been to tell us they were selling the building with a bit more notice than this.

"The first we knew of the plans was last month."

She said she believed a carpet firm would be moving onto the site.

One member, Gordon Harrison, even offered to buy the building when he learned it was being sold.

He said: "We feel betrayed, we didn't even get a chance to come up with an alternative so that we could keep our club going."

Another member, John Henry, said: "This is our church. We are furious."

Another group affected by the closure is the Tuesday night Ceroc dance class, which attracts up to 120 people every week.

Teacher Fiona Black said: "We've been using this hall for five years and we are all devastated that the building is closing."

But in a last-ditch effort to find a new hall, The Groves WMC has stepped in and offered the use of its hall every Tuesday.

Just 18 months ago members were congratulated on their success in reviving Layerthorpe WMC, which had gone into receivership in 1999.

At the time they were told that plans to sell up had been dropped.

Updated: 11:19 Wednesday, September 05, 2001