AN ADULT learning centre, singled out as one of the best in the country, has been forced to close its doors to staff and clients because of health and safety issues at the building it inhabits.

LEAP, which until last Friday was operating at Commercial Yard in Barnard Castle, received high praise two years ago when it was awarded a quality mark by the Basic Skills Agency after being judged among the best in Britain. Its co-ordinator Jenny Lee is also a nationally-recognised authority on dyslexia.

The service, which offers free help to about 600 people a year with literacy, numeracy, form-filling and the drawing up of CVs, as well as offering courses on word processing and computer skills, has been looking for new premises within Barnard Castle for some time after Commercial Yard became the focus of attention when its owner, David Deacon, was given planning permission to build houses on the land in a controversial decision taken by Teesdale District Council.

But it had been hoping to relocate without interruption to service, rather than being forced to close with nowhere to go.

Declining to comment, Mrs Lee, who is employed by Durham County Council, was referring media questions to county hall, where spokesman Fraser Davie confirmed that issues had been raised by LEAP staff regarding health and safety.

"As a result of what we were told, we sent a specialist team to the Barnard Castle building, including electrical and structural engineers," he said.

"They carried out a survey of the premises, where they were able to gain access, and their findings supported initial observations. Those findings were then discussed with senior officers of the council and the decision was taken to pull staff out."

Mr Davie would not be drawn on the exact nature of the defects, but the D&S Times has been led to believe that bulging ceilings, affected by rainwater, have collapsed, flooding the electrical system.

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