A DISGRUNTLED leisure centre user says Salisbury district council is putting short-term profits before long-term health.

With the Olympic Games coming to Britain in 2012, Victoria Marr says the council should be doing everything it can to offer cheap facilities and encourage local talent.

But the 23-year-old, of Endless Street, says that district council bosses are instead charging similar prices at Five Rivers leisure centre to that of the private sector - pricing many local people out of keeping fit.

Miss Marr, who recently moved to the city from Gateshead, said she tried joining the complex last month, only to discover high prices and unhelpful staff who could not process her membership on the day.

As a result, the regular swimmer and gym user wrote to Salisbury MP Robert Key to complain.

"It is understandable that the council reduces charges for the poorest people," she said.

"However, following our country's success at winning the Olympic bid in 2012, and the increasing awareness of obesity, the council should not align charges with the private sector.

"There are plenty of medium-income families and people who do not qualify for reduced rates and cannot afford access to sports facilities."

A Salisbury district council spokeswoman said: "The council has to balance its responsibility for funding essential services such as waste collection and affordable housing with providing non-statutory services such as leisure facilities.

"We are committed to offering excellent leisure services at a reasonable cost but we are also committed to keeping council tax as low as possible and channelling our funds into our most essential services."

The council, which subsidises Five Rivers, has defended its decision to set fees and charges in line with the top 25 per cent of charges from other local authorities.

SDC does offer discounts through its Wisecard scheme to help those on low incomes.

The spokeswoman said: "We cannot unfairly expect the burden of funding the running of the centre to fall on non-users within the community, who are already, through their council tax, subsiding those who do not use leisure facilities."