Lack of funding and community support mean a Bradford community centre will close at the end of next month.

The Oakenshaw centre's committee made the decision after an appeal for more local support drew a poor response.

Committee member Suzanne Morris said: "The closure is due to lack of funding and a lack of people being interested in being on the committee.

"There have been only three of us for the last 18 months. We've asked people to give us a hand to run the centre, but we haven't had any response. There are quite a lot of days when nobody uses the centre at all."

She said frequent vandalism at the centre, which is owned by Bradford Council and is thought to have been open for about 30 years, had also taken its toll.

"We had a lot of break-ins before Christmas," she said. "Vandals smashed about 25 windows, damaged the inside and out, climbed on the roof and smashed the slates and the roof is now leaking.

"The cost of repairs and insurance is phenomenal. There is more money going out than coming in and, with the state of the building, no one is coming to have parties here or doing anything to help pay for the repairs."

Bradford South area co-ordinator John Breen said he had written to the three ward councillors, alerting them.

"It is a shame that there doesn't seem to be support within the community because this committee has worked really hard to make it work," he said.

"There are three elements - the ceasing of activities, which is in the hands of the committee; the surrender of the lease to the Council and the winding-up of the Low Moor and Oakenshaw Community Association.

Only six groups regularly use the centre. Toni Pollitt runs Kelrose Canine Training Society, which has been based there for 20 years. She takes four dog training classes each Monday evening.

"We are now appealing to the community to let us know of any other places where we could meet," she said.She can be contacted on 07887 922621.