Angry residents have said Lambeth Council should be “ashamed” at the closure of Streatham leisure centre - and are begging the council to do everything it can to reopen the facility.

Their pleas come as Streatham residents learn they will not be given financial support to help them travel to other Lambeth leisure facilities following the closure of the popular leisure centre on November 25.

There are also fears leisure facilities in the south of the borough will not be able to cope with the increased demand.

Brixton leisure centre could be the only functioning facility next year if, as many residents fear, the Streatham facility does not reopen before a new one is built as part of the Streatham Hub development.

Clapham leisure centre is set to close in the New Year so it can be knocked down and a new facility built in its place.

Former leisure centre user Jon Waits said it could be "standing room only" in the Brixton pool. He added: "Its just not good enough planning to leave us starved of facilities like this."

Emma Westbury, 40, who signed up for annual membership to the centre just a week before it closed, said she was "devastated" the popular centre had shut, and was angry she would not get financial support travelling to the other centres.

Resident Rosemary Clark added: "Lambeth should feel ashamed that it has let the centre fall into such disrepair that it has to be closed."

The leisure centre was closed after an investigation into concerns about the ceiling over the swimming pool uncovered widespread structural problems.

Lambeth has apologised for the inconvenience of the closure, and a council spokesman said a definitive timetable for how long the centre would remain closed for was not yet known, though a full structural survey was due to start this week.

All the centre's staff have been allocated work at other leisure facilities.

The spokesman said memberships could be cancelled or suspended.

Councillor Rachel Heywood, Cabinet Member for Culture, said: “We have been working hard to minimise the disruption this has caused, and we did not rush to this decision lightly. However the safety of users is our top priority.

"GLL, who run the Leisure Centre, have written to all members to explain the closure and advise them that they can cancel or suspend their membership. All members are being encouraged to use their Leisure Cards at other Lambeth Leisure Centres and a range of out of borough facilities including Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, and all of the centre’s staff have been allocated work at other GLL centres."

Peter Jones, Divisional Director at Lambeth Cultural Services, said:“We appreciate people are frustrated at the uncertainty around the Streatham centre, but we need to get the report from our structural engineers before we can agree a definitive timetable for how long the centre will remain closed.

"This report will provide an indication of the likely costs involved in making the centre safe for public use. We will continue to provide people with as much information as possible as soon as it becomes available.”

For more information on alternative facilities visit lambeth.gov.uk.

• What do you think? Let us know by email here, phone the newsdesk on 020 8330 9555 or leave a comment below.