THE south's first purpose-built mosque will be at the centre of a bizarre court case because more than 20 groups are laying claim to it.

Southampton City Council, which sold the half-acre site on which the £2m Medina Mosque was built for a knockdown price, will let a judge decide who should possess the freehold.

Civic leaders hope it will be the final chapter in the long, drawn-out saga of the building, which has been dogged by funding problems and controversy.

Work began on the mosque in Compton Walk seven years ago to replace the neighbouring and then run-down Raziva Mosque. An arson investigation was launched last May when a blaze caused thousands of pounds of damage to the main prayer room and a man was stabbed during a mass brawl the previous summer.

The Muslim Council of Southampton tried to mediate between the mosque and the City Council to prevent court action but now admits defeat.

Chairman Redwan El-Khayat said they had put forward a proposal for the original trustees of the Raziva Mosque, which launched the project, to be brought back on board.

He added the group suggested open elections could then take place to form a new committee.

"We tried our best to mediate between the two parties but cannot do any more," he said.

Ahmed Shah Moied, president of the Raziva Mosque in St Mary's Road said: "We have tried hard to persuade with the Medina regime so the council did not have to go this far but sadly we were unable to do anything."

Civic chiefs first paved the way for the scheme when they agreed to sell the Medina Trust the land in Compton Walk for £56,000 - a quarter of its market value.

A city council spokesman said the matter would go before the county court in the coming weeks.

He added: "The council is not taking action against anyone and it's not suing anyone, it's simply about the court now deciding who the council transfers the freehold of the site to."