Campaigners striving to keep Stocksbridge Leisure Centre open have vowed to carry on fighting - despite the centre closing its doors this evening.

A judicial review of the decision to shut the Moorland Drive centre will take place in June, but a court has refused to grant an injunction to prevent it being mothballed in the meantime.

The facility is under-threat as part of £50m budget cuts by Sheffield City Council. It is due to close for six weeks from tonight.

Fay Howard from 4SLC, the campaign group opposing the closure, said the group would carry on in spite of the setback.

"It's disappointing but it's a minor blip and we move on," she said.

"It's easier to keep a business going than to close and getting it going again but we've put too much sweat and effort in to give up now.

"It's almost as if the judge gave us something (the review) and he gave Sheffield City Council something (turning down the injunction)."

Members of 4SLC will now survey every Stocksbridge resident, before moving to nearby areas, in order to find out what they want from the centre, ahead of the summer review.

Visitor numbers dropped by 40,000 during the past four years, from about 180,000 to 140,000.

"We need to find out where visitors went, what they want and what we can do to bring them back," added Fay.

"We need to look at where Sheffield International Venues (the company which ran the centre) failed and where we can succeed."