ANGRY and emotional town councillors were told on Tuesday that there was less than four weeks to try and find an organisation willing to take on Braeside activity centre in Devizes.

Wiltshire Council has already decided that both Braeside and Oxenwood, near Marlborough, are to close but cabinet member for children's services Laura Mayes said a deadline of May 21 had been set for the council to receive serious letters of intent from anyone wanting to take on the centres.

But after the special town council meeting both she and cabinet finance boss Philip Whitehead said the council had been trying desperately hard for the past 18 months to find an outside body willing to continue the work of the educational centres without success.

They admitted that if there were still no takers by May 21 Braeside would be sold on the open market and could be bought by a developer.

Emotions were running high at the meeting as Devizes town councillors accused Wiltshire of selling off the family silver. Jane Burton said: "It they sell off the silver they will be left with plastic spoons."

Many councillors spoke of their personal experiences of using Braeside. Cllr Kathleen Shaw spoke of the many trips she had supervised there as a teacher at a primary school in Bradford on Avon. She said: "Braeside is unique. It is a wonderful place." She said outdoor holidays runs by big companies such as PGL did not provide the same experiences for children.

Cllr Ian Hopkins said: "In all my years on the council I have never come across this level of anger from people in Devizes towards Wiltshire Council."

Mrs Mayes said she understood how Braeside was held in huge affection and had her own moving memories of time spent there. She said: "This decision has been extremely difficult. The most difficult I have ever been involved in."

But she said outdoor education was not a statutory service and the council had to find money to meet its three children's service targets of having enough school places, looking after vulnerable children and improving the performance of schools.

At the end of the meeting the town council voted unanimously to support the retention of Braeside and asked the council to extend the deadline for expressions of interest in the centre.