A CRECHE is being forced to close at a north Hampshire community leisure centre because it is losing too much money.

Mothers are up in arms over the announcement that Merry Berries Creche, based at The Hurst Leisure Centre, in Baughurst, is soon to close.

The service is part of the centre’s pre-school programme and offers two one-hour sessions a day from Monday to Friday. But after making a £10,500 loss in 2009, the governing board at The Hurst Community College, which is also responsible for the leisure centre, took the decision to close the creche.

Holly Tidy, who has two daughters aged nine and four, has been using the creche for five years while she attends the centre’s gym.

The 30-year-old, of Fairlawn Road, Tadley, said: “The staff are fantastic. It’s good for the children to integrate and it’s good for the mothers so they are not staying at home. I lost four stone after having my second child by going to the gym.”

She added: “I just think it’s an underhand way of doing things. They haven’t spoken to us.”

Bob Horne, The Hurst community manager, said the decision to close was made in August as a result of rising financial pressures.

He said that the creche’s 15 to 20 regular users were sent letters explaining the reasons for closure but could not be informed sooner out of sensitivity towards staff.

Mr Horne said: “We are just as upset as the people using it and the staff, who do a great job. The service is not there to make money, it has always been subsidised by the wider budget, but income has gone down and we can’t keep running at a loss.”

He added: “We still have a nursery and are still offering other pre-school activities.”

The creche employs four part-time members of staff but Mr Horne said he could not comment on job losses as decisions have not been made by employer Hampshire County Council.

He expects the creche to close before Christmas, but said that no date has been set, and he reassured customers that they will be kept informed.