A community could be left devastated by the closure of its workingmen's club, it emerged yesterday.

In an all-too-familiar story, Pelton Fell Workingmen's Club, in the small village of Pelton Fell, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, could become the latest in a long line to close in recent years.

Since 1982, nearly 90 clubs have closed in the county, repeating a trend that has decimated clubs all over the North-East.

Only this week, a Sunderland social club was closed with more than £15,000 in unpaid debts.

Like many, Pelton Fell has floundered in recent years because of a lack of new members and poor takings - leading to financial difficulties that have seen them subject to a compulsory wind-up petition brought by Customs and Excise for alleged VAT evasion.

But members remain hopeful that a last-minute reprieve in the form of cash from the Federation Brewery, their trade suppliers, could save the club.

One member, who did not want to be named, said: "We've been expecting this for quite a while.

"If it closes, the village will be left with nothing. There are no pubs here, nothing to do for youngsters and the club closing will make matters even worse.

"Ten years ago, people used to queue out the door to get in at weekends - now only a handful of people go. How can it survive with that?"

Jack Amos, secretary of the County Durham CIU, said the county's once-thriving club scene has shrunk from 342 in 1982 to just 257 currently.

He said: "I am very, very sad about this. The clubs need an injection of life - they need younger people to come in but they would prefer to stand in a trendy wine bar drinking bottled beer for £2.50.

"Some people came to the clubs purely for the cheap beer, but they offer a community so much more.

"They have darts, dominoes and angling clubs as well as holding wedding receptions and parties.

"Very often, the workingmen's club is the hub of a community's life," he said.

A spokesman for Federation Breweries said: "We have been made aware that a winding-up order for June 22 has been served on the club by Customs and Excise for non-payment of VAT.

"Our customer accountant is meeting present and future club officials this week to discuss the club's position and what the club intends to do about meeting the requirements of the notice."