ARGUMENTS over who should repair a former leisure centre’s broken heating which has left users exercising in the cold for two years have still not been resolved.

Fifteen electric heaters have been employed to try to address the issue, which afflicts the extension of the Ferryhill Hub.

Durham County Council is the landlord of the building, on Lambton Road, Ferryhill, and the Ferryhill Community Partnership is the tenant.

Several users, including Ferryhill Indoor Bowls Club, are affected by the issue which also means there is no hot water.

The council carried out an inspection of the system in December and found that the equipment in the extension was fitted when it was built in 1999.

It has given a ballpark estimate of £7,300 as the cost of the repairs and it has indicated that it will cover the works provided the partnership agrees to certain conditions.

Dave Farry, chairman of the partnership, said the council is responsible for the heating.

He said: “In the tenancy which we signed with the council it states that the council is responsible for the repair and maintenance of the utility supplies.

“We have sent in estimates for the work yet the county council is still waffling and it hasn’t given us a start date.”

The Ferryhill partnership took over the running of the former leisure centre when the county council decided to close it as part of a cost cutting move in 2012.

Durham County councillor Brian Avery, who covers Ferryhill, said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous that there’s no heating in the winter. It’s criminal that this could happen.”

He claimed that bowlers at the centre wore hats and coats to play but Colin Larcombe, secretary of the Ferryhill Indoor Bowls Club, refuted this.

He said: “The heating is not working and it hasn’t for two years. There’s a disagreement between those running the building and the council over who is responsible for it.

“People don’t wear hats and coats to play but they do wear sweaters or cardigans. We have lost members because of it.

“Most people in the club are elderly and they don’t have transport to go anywhere else.”

Nigel Dodds, the council’s strategic manager, culture and sport, said: “The council is in negotiations with the partnership in seeking a solution for the longer term management of the centre.

“We’re aware of the problems with the heating and are currently seeking to reach an agreement with the partnership in order to resolve them.”