FURIOUS civic leaders in Watchet have slammed West Somerset District Council over never-ending delays in the opening of the town's youth club.

The district authority was branded "totally incompetent" at getting the club refurbishment complete and one town councillor said that if the council was a company it would have gone out of business years ago.

And with feelings running high in Watchet, a call was made for the building to be knocked down and the project started from scratch.

In the latest of a catalogue of hold-ups, it has been discovered that the building at the Memorial Ground has been leaking and dripping over a newly-laid wooden floor since youngsters were seen climbing on the roof.

There have also been disputes and problems between the council and the builders contracted to carry out the work, and trouble installing a gas supply.

A metal door and window shutters costing £7,000 have arrived but have not been yet been put in place, holding the project up even further.

And town councillor Sally de Renzy Martin was on the verge of ordering furniture for the club when the roof leaked and soaked the floor, but she has vowed to not give up.

Although the district council is still promising to open the facility before Christmas, town councillors fear it will not be ready until some time next year.

The area next to the youth club will eventually be surfaced to accommodate a new skate park but work cannot begin until electricity firm SWEB installs an underground cable.

The park is being held up because the lease from the district council has not been signed as one is being drawn up for the whole of the Memorial Ground.

At September's meeting of Watchet Town Council, fed-up youngsters demanded answers over the delays and a firm date for the youth club opening - but they left disappointed.

The revamp of the club has dragged on for over three years, leaving youngsters to roam the streets with nowhere to channel their energies, especially during the winter.

Town councillor Tony Bowden spoke of his anger at this week's meeting concerning the never-ending delays and called for action from the district council.

"It has been going on for over three years. The situation is just ridiculous and I am getting extremely frustrated just like everyone else," he said.

He branded the district council "incompetent" and added: "If they were a business they would have gone bust years ago.

"They keep saying the walls are too wet - so have they been wet for three years? And why have they not sorted out the gas supply before?"

Town council chairman Cllr David Banks said the situation was "abysmal" and Cllr Loretta Whetlor questioned whether the club should be demolished and started again.

Cllr Dave Westcott said he had been informed that the club would not be open until after Christmas: "I try to make a weekly effort to find out when the youth club will be open because most of the problems in the town is because it is not open.

"I have been told it will not open until after Christmas so we should be keeping continual pressure on the district council because the young people are quite rightly really getting annoyed."

Cllr Bob Hill said: "We are being given excuse after excuse and I just cannot believe the things that are happening because I can see the club not opening to the middle of next year or Christmas.

"It just goes on and on and on and we are talking about a gas supply which could have been done three years ago."

The district council drafted in a expert on Monday to ascertain the full cost of damage to the roof.

When work on the building was started, 1,200 gallons of water were pumped out in dampness from dehumidifiers.

District contracts and technical services manager Kelvin Rufus said the roof leak "really is quite a disappointment" and added: "The wet weather has not helped. I have looked at the roof and it is not leaking in the place that you would expect. However, it would not help having people walking over it as has been happening."

Once the leakage problem and gas supply have been sorted out, the furniture will be ordered along with two pool tables, a table tennis table, television set, CD system, computer and equipment for various indoor pursuits.

The whole project is costing £60,000 with money coming from the district and town councils, South West of England Regional Development Agency, local businesses and the police.