PARENTS have told of their fury after their young daughters were turned away from a north Durham leisure centre to wander the streets alone at night.
One of the two ten-year-old friends, Georgia Batty, of Shield Row, Stanley, was ordered out of a trampoline class at the town's Louisa Centre because she was not wearing "correct socks".
The other school friend Georgia Telford, also of Shield Row, was refused entry to the complex because her separate trampoline class was full.
Georgia Telford managed to contact her friend's dad, Peter Batty before he went home. But Georgia Batty was left stranded in the dark, more than a mile from home, at 7.30pm. She managed to cross a busy road to the Asda store, in Stanley, where she made a tearful phone call to her dad.
Mother Yvonne Telford said all the parents were "absolutely horrified".
She said: "We were just totally shocked. Neither of them would argue with an adult because they're not brought up like that.
"The manager called up full of apologies but, as Peter told him, an apology would have been no good if anything had happened. This thing about having the wrong socks is ridiculous."
Mother Margaret Batty has written a letter to the council seeking a complete explanation.
Derwentside Leisure general manager Colin Simm was not available for comment at the weekend but was reported to be apologetic about the incident.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article